Research Database

Hydropower contributes a lot to electricity generation. Myanmar has enormous potential for water resources which can guarantee domestic electricity supply and export surplus power to neighbouring countries. This paper analyses the status-quo of water resources and obstacles of Myanmar’s hydropower development, and concludes that: (1) Myanmar harbours great potential for hydropower development and utilization; (2) the spatial distribution of hydropower stations and the supply of electricity are unbalanced; (3) main obstacles for hydropower development and utilization include weak governance over water resources, lack of fund and technology, natural disasters and environmentalism resistance. To achieve full electrification in 2030, it is essential for Myanmar to promote the construction of both small-scale and responsible large-scale hydropower stations.

Sustainable Energy Development is a must consideration for energy sector. Energy Trilemma index is quite low in Myanmar as only 40% of the country is electrified At 66% of Final Energy Consumption, the residential sector was the largest energy consumer, due to the use of fuel wood for cooking. For electricity sector, load shedding problems are frequently occurred in dry season because of insufficient generation. Local peoples are also protesting Coal fired power plants and natural gas is also not available sufficiently. In this paper, the role of solar energy to enhance energy security, affordability and environmental sustainability are analyzed using energy Trilemma index as a tool. Energy Trilemma is used as a tool to determine the sustainability development of the energy sector. According to the analysis, three indices of energy trilemma can be improved by solar energy and it is a vital role for sustainable energy development in Myanmar.

The increased use of renewable energy is imperative as a countermeasure to climate change. As with conventional electricity generation technologies, public acceptance of renewables is an important issue, and willingness to pay (WTP) is a widely used indicator to assess such public attitudes. Unfortunately, the literature to date mostly covers developed countries, with few WTP surveys in developing countries. Tackling climate change is an urgent issue for these developing countries; therefore, understanding of public attitudes toward renewables in developing countries is crucial. This study conducted the first survey on WTP for introducing renewable energy in Myanmar. Although Myanmar boasts abundant renewable energy resources, including solar power and biomass in addition to large-scale hydro plants, its resources are not being properly utilized to generate electricity. This study surveyed WTP for power generation by solar photovoltaics, small hydropower, and biomass facilities. The results showed the highest WTP for solar power (USD 1.92) with 10% share in the energy mix, and lower WTP for biomass and small hydropower electricity generations (USD 1.13 and USD 1.17, respectively). Careful public communication is thus crucial for expanding biomass and small-scale hydro power plants.

Over the past few decades, universal electricity access has grown together with an increasing awareness of the need to combat global warming. Nevertheless, electricity access remains a critical driver of economic growth and poverty reduction for developing countries. This study characterizes the demand for solar energy and its impact on electricity consumption in Myanmar. We estimate discrete choice models for solar device ownership (or usage) using the World Bank multi-tier framework (MTF) global survey for Myanmar. We estimate a binary choice model for solar device usage, and find that individuals who are married and living in their own houses in rural areas without access to the national grid are more likely to become solar device owners. Using a multinomial logit model estimation, we find heterogeneous characteristics of the demand for solar device ownership by payment method. Finally, we estimate an electricity consumption function with solar device ownership as an endogenous selection using Heckman’s selection model estimation. The estimation result indicates that there is no substantial rebound effect due to solar device ownership.

Cement manufacturing is an energy-intensive industry which uses a large amount of resources and contributes environmental impacts at both small and large scales. The growth of key world economies has led to an increase in the use of construction materials and therefore in the demand for cement, particularly in the Asian region. With increasing interest on sustainability issues, environmental concerns posed by the cement industry in Myanmar were investigated in order to explore options to mitigate emissions and subsequent environmental impacts. Comparative life cycle assessments were conducted including a base scenario (existing cement production scheme) and five alternative scenarios developed mostly with a focus on energy efficiency and the use of alternative fuels and materials. A cradle-to-gate system boundary was considered, limiting the scope of the study to raw material extraction, transportation and manufacturing. The impact assessment was performed based on the ReCiPe (2016) method. The results showed that the mitigation options employed in specific scenarios led to a significant reduction in major emissions and consequent environmental impacts in comparison with the base scenario. Above all, the ideal scenario (combination of all possible mitigation options) showed the best results enabling a decrease in emissions of CO2 by 10–50%, NOx by 5–23%, SO2 by 4–20% and PM2.5 by 6–22% compared to a base scenario. This resulted in a reduction of major environmental impacts by 10–50% for climate change, 6–27% for photochemical oxidant formation: ecosystem quality, 7–22% for particulate matter formation, 6–22% for terrestrial acidification and 8–64% for fossil resource scarcity.

Solar energy is one of the most valuable renewable sources of energy for the socioeconomic development of a nation. Despite Myanmar has abundant solar energy resources, there are some obstacles that hinder the development of solar energy in Myanmar. To this end, this study uses contingent valuation method to estimate the public willingness-to-pay for solar energy research and development in Myanmar. Based on the survey of 550 respondents, this study indicates that, on average, Myanmar residents are willing to pay an additional 1500 kyat ($1) per month per household for research and development of Myanmar's solar energy. The total annual willingness-to-pay for the research and development of solar energy in Myanmar is estimated at 198 billion kyat ($132 million). Respondents' education level, monthly household income, knowledge of energy issues, degree of concern about energy issues, and awareness of the benefits of solar energy influence their willingness-to-pay decisions, while bid prices have a significant negative impact on their willingness-to-pay decisions. In addition to these factors, this study estimates willingness-to-pays for different geographic locations in Myanmar. This study provides Myanmar authorities with useful and important insights to develop more effective renewable energy policies for solar energy development across the country.

Energy access remains a challenge for many countries, as recognized by sustainable development goal 7 of the United Nations Development Programme. Although the Myanmar government has set a target of 100% electrification by 2030, less than half of the households are currently connected to the national grid. To expedite electrification, decentralized approaches should be considered. […]

Myanmar remains one of the few exceptions to the rapid diffusion of solar photovoltaics (PV) in power generation mixes. This is surprising considering that Myanmar is one of the countries with the largest technical potential for solar energy among Southeast Asian nations. Solar energy can complement the existing hydropower generation to address endemic energy crisis during the dry season. A continuation of paralysis on investments in solar energy could affect the security and sustainability of the sector in one of the most rapidly growing countries in the region. In this paper, we aimed to identify the barriers preventing solar energy to flourish in Myanmar and to identify policy options to unlock them. We conducted a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis with inputs from relevant stakeholders from the government, private sector, and civil society organizations. Our analysis suggested a consensus on the merits of solar energy among all factors; however, a policy framework to spur investments that contribute both to the national energy system and local development needs to be developed by considering some particularities of Myanmar, such as securing rightful land ownership and limited experience with market mechanisms (e.g., energy auction), for the promotion of investments in the energy sector.

"Climate change and land are linked – politically. Climate change politics intersects with the global land rush in extensive and complex ways, the impacts of which affect villagers profoundly. These interconnections occur in direct and indirect ways and are often subtle, but that does not make them less important; it only makes the challenge of governing such dynamics in the interests of marginalized working poor people even more difficult. In this paper, we focus our analysis on indirect and subtle interconnections. Examining empirical cases in Northern Shan State in Myanmar, we conclude that these interconnections occur in at least three broad ways, in which climate change politics can be: (i) a trigger for land grabbing, (ii) a legitimating process for land grabs, or (iii) a de-legitimating process for people’s climate change mitigation and adaptation practices. These interconnections in turn stoke old and provoke new political axes of conflict within and between state and social forces. "