Record heat across Asia is putting its surging renewable power fleet to the test, highlighting the need for backup supply, transmission system upgrades and tariff reforms to ensure reliability and stave off a slowdown in green energy adoption.
Temperatures in parts of the region breached 40°C in late April, earlier than usual, causing widespread infrastructure damage and power cuts.
In China, where renewables account for more than half of the power mix, authorities kept backup coal and gas-fired plants on standby to meet demand and sudden spikes in consumption from the early heat, consultancy Rystad said.
India's top solar power-producing state Rajasthan has been getting “early warnings” of technical challenges that could arise as the use of renewables increases, a federal power ministry official said.
Improving reliability of the grid would involve expensive upgrades. Transmission and distribution network improvements alone are likely to cost at least $2 trillion over the next decade in the Asia-Pacific region, consultancy Wood Mackenzie predicted this month.
India is extending the life of coal-fired power plants and China is building new ones to ensure there is enough backup supply to address higher power demand, potentially increasing emissions in the absence of regulations and policy reforms.
“Heatwaves are kind of the start of a vicious cycle downwards. You're creating climate change, and then you're causing more demand for energy, and then it's creating more climate change,” said Malavika Bambawale, Apac managing director at Engie's sustainability division Engie Impact.
The absence of tariff structures in much of Asia to encourage running coal or gas-based power plants for only a few peak hours a day could push grid operators to operate fossil fuel plants as much as possible, said Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at the Centre for Research on Clean Energy and Air.
Power from solar and wind is harder to forecast and control as it varies by local weather, and cannot be ramped up or down in response to sudden demand spurts or dips – unlike with hydro and gas.
“If proper tariff structures incentivising flexible thermal generation are not introduced, it could result in slower renewable energy adoption,” he said.
“Grid regulators need to build a grid that can regulate voltage and frequency given how solar behaves. That's of course a challenge.”
China and India have been examining ways to incentivise flexible generation. India on Friday said it would cut power tariffs during the day, when solar power is available, and increase them during peak night hours from April 2024.
Green energy capacity in Asia grew 12 per cent in 2022, the fastest rate among major regions, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.
The share of renewables including hydro in Asia's power mix is set to double from 2011 levels to 28 per cent this year, Wood Mackenzie predicts. Much of that growth has come from wind and solar, which combined will account for 14 per cent of the total, from 1 per cent in 2011.
However, authorities in India's sun-drenched Rajasthan state are finding it increasingly difficult to control voltage fluctuations due to the inconsistent nature of solar power output.
“When there is a fault in the grid, renewables have to stay connected and support the grid, and nearby generation resources should contribute some power to feed that fault,” the Indian official said, declining to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
“Many of these renewable plants are not actually able to comply with such requirements.”
To meet surging recent demand, India has increased local coal production and boosted inventories to the highest levels since the pandemic and extended an emergency mandate that forces power plants running on imported coal to maximise output.
In China, the surging share of renewables necessitates “more flexible and fast-response power sources such as gas, pumped storage and battery storage will be needed for peak shaving”, Rystad said in a note.
As many parts of Asia including China, Malaysia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have faced power cuts in recent weeks due to extreme heat, Vietnam offers a cautionary tale.
More than half of the South-East Asian country's installed capacity became unavailable during a recent heatwave, causing blackouts due to low water levels at dams producing hydropower and a failure to fully integrate newly installed solar capacity.
Part of the problem in Vietnam is that solar farms were built far from where the power was most needed, said Pablo Hevia-Koch, head of renewable integration at the International Energy Agency.
“When there's a mismatch in where the generation is put and where the demand is, that will put some stress into the system,” he said.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
The biog
Age: 32
Qualifications: Diploma in engineering from TSI Technical Institute, bachelor’s degree in accounting from Dubai’s Al Ghurair University, master’s degree in human resources from Abu Dhabi University, currently third years PHD in strategy of human resources.
Favourite mountain range: The Himalayas
Favourite experience: Two months trekking in Alaska
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: from Dh293,200
On sale: now
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Barings Bank
Barings, one of Britain’s oldest investment banks, was
founded in 1762 and operated for 233 years before it went bust after a trading
scandal.
Barings Bank collapsed in February 1995 following colossal
losses caused by rogue trader Nick Lesson.
Leeson gambled more than $1 billion in speculative trades,
wiping out the venerable merchant bank’s cash reserves.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
