Diving Deep : How to Choose between the DEEP DIVE Options at ACEF

(Part 3 of 3)

What should you do with your time at ACEF? There are so many options that it can be overwhelming. To help guide ACEF participants, we have developed these ACEF Blogs as a way of providing some context and background for ACEF participants. This is Part 3 of a blog series on Deep Dives Workshops (DDWs), and it covers the DDWs on the last day of ACEF week, Friday 21 June. Part 1 covered the DDWs held on Monday (17 June); and Part 2 covered the DDWs held on Wednesday (19 June).

Wednesday Deep Dives

There will be a total of seven (7) Deep Dive Workshops, or DDWs, on Friday. They will all be held all day, with most of them running from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm, but one of them designed for Early Birds (the DDW on CCUS will start at 8:00 am!). The DDWs will be held in two locations – the 4 Main Auditoriums (A to D) and in the 3 Multi-Function Halls, which are located in the new wing. Below is an easy-to-scan summary of each of the DDWs.

The Friday DDWs will provide a very diverse set of options covering topics related to carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS); cross border energy markets; next generation utilities, cooling efficiency, utility scale solar and wind projects, distributed renewables and energy access, and electric vehicles.

Update on CCUS Experience, Challenges and Opportunities, with an Eye on Asia

Title: Asia Wakes Up to CCUS
Time: 8:00 am to 5:30 pm
Location: Auditorium A
Organizers: ADB, UK Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)

This DDW will introduce state-of-the-art technologies with the aim to inspire implementation of similar projects in Asia and directly leapfrog to the next phase of CCUS development.

Discussions will cover the current status of CCUS in the world and include introductions to some of state-of-art technologies; as well as efforts made by multilateral and bilateral organisations.
Representatives from governments of ADB developing members countries, as well as countries from other regions actively involved in CCUS development and deployment, will share their experiences and insights on jump-starting the deployment of advanced CCUS technologies in Asia.
Participants will discuss the challenges and opportunities in financing and promoting investments in CCUS in Asia, and share experiences and insights in financing and promoting entrepreneurship in CCUS.
One session will showcase innovative technologies that utilizes waste CO2, and discussion will include their economics, comparison with conventional manufacturing in terms of GHG emissions, future opportunities, and possible market penetration strategies in Asia.
Finally, CCUS Centres of Excellence in Asia and other regions will share their insights and experiences on CCUS research, development and demonstration challenges in Asia and provide possible pathways to meet these challenges.

Future Potential and Directions for Cross Border Energy Markets

Title: Regional Cooperation and Integration (RCI) for Cross-Border Energy Markets
Time: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Location: Auditorium B
Organizers: ADB

The objective of this DDW on Regional Cooperation and Integration for cross-border energy markets is to develop clearer understandings and consider future directions in relation to:

emerging cross-border trends in the energy sector in Asia;
experience/lessons-learned with cross-border energy markets in Asia and elsewhere; and opportunities, challenges and priorities for further development of cross-border energy markets and energy trade in Asia, including conventional and renewable energy sources;
planning, cooperating and scaling-up investment in new cross-border energy projects in Asia and the Pacific - roles of the public/private sectors and development partners; and
how to move forward implementing a stronger RCI/cross-border focus in ADB’s operations in the energy sector.

The Dilemma and Opportunities of Cooling

Title: The Future of Cooling: Promoting Sustainable Cooling through Technology and Policy Innovation
Time: 9:00 am to 5:30 pm
Location: Auditorium C
Organizers: IEA, GIZ, UK Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)

Cooling is essential to the way we live our lives, and it is not just about keeping ourselves comfortable. While heat waves kill 12,000 people per year today, a number that is set to rise to 255,000 by 2050, wasted vaccines due to broken cold chains cause millions of preventable deaths every year. Cold chains also play a vital part in the phenomenal volume of food waste, depriving millions of an adequate nutritional diet. Space cooling in buildings alone could be responsible for over 2,000 MtCO2 by 2050, and this does not include the rest of the cold chain, nor the indirect emissions from food wastage and leaked F-gases. And more than a billion people still lack access to cooling for their basic needs! For many cooling technologies the carbon mitigation potential from energy efficiency is even greater than the phase down of these harmful refrigerants. Hence, the focus of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol beyond F-gas phase down, to encourage the greater uptake of energy efficiency. As well as finding alternative, cleaner, refrigerants and technologies, a host of crosscutting activities will be essential to ensure that cooling is clean, affordable and accessible to all. This DDW will bring together representatives from governments, the private sector, financial institutions and international organisations to discuss the challenges and opportunities of sustainable cooling in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Kigali Amendment.

The Nitty Gritty of Developing Utility Scale Projects

Title: Utility-Scale Renewables: Challenges in Developing Solar and Wind Energy Projects
Time: 9:00 am to 5:30 pm
Location: Auditorium D
Organizers: ADB, Private Financing Advisory Network (PFAN), US Agency for International Development (USAID), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE)

This Deep Dive Workshop (DDW) will focus on challenges in the development of utility-scale wind energy and solar PV projects through a deep examination of the range of challenges faced by project developers, investors, and governments—the key stakeholders that need to work together in order to unleash a revolution in renewable energy. This DDW aims to improve understanding of the real, on-the-ground challenges faced by project developers and their investors/bankers, with a focus on utility-scale wind energy and solar PV projects. It will achieve this objective by a mix of presentation on tools and resources; panel discussions with three main stakeholder groups (project developers, investors/bankers, and governments/utilities); and detailed, “deep dive” case studies of a sample of wind and solar energy projects

Come Join the Electric Car Revolution

Title: Electric Vehicles
Time: 9:00 am to 5:30 pm
Location: Multifunction Hall 1 (in new wing)
Organizers: ADB

This DDW will aim first and foremost to simply raise awareness of electric vehicle (EV) technology. The idea is to enable and engage participants and help them develop project ideas involving EVs, especially the policy makers who are exploring options for mitigation of climate change impact. India, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Nigeria, and Pakistan are today leading mobile phone markets, which in the 1990s we presumed would be commanded by Australia, Germany, and Japan. The objective of this initiative is to start an electric car revolution at the bottom of the income pyramid in ADB’s Developing Member Countries (DMCs), which can trigger faster and wider market adoption side by side as the developed world brings in the Tesla, Chevy Volt or the Nissan Leaf at the top of the pyramid.

What Will the Utility of the Future Look Like?

Title: Next-gen Utilities for a Smart Energy Future
Time: 9:00 am to 5:30 pm
Location: Multifunction Hall 2 (in new wing)
Organizers: ADB, US Agency for International Development (USAID), UK Government

This DDW will provide participants, particularly those from developing countries, an opportunity to gain insights on:

distribution reform options for ensuring sector viability in the new energy paradigm including experience sharing;
innovations and best practices for transforming utility to smart grids in areas of technology selection, business models and consumer engagement and participation schemes;
opportunities and models for scaling-up rooftop PV solutions; and
power market design options and role of associated institutions

The discussions will enable policy makers, utilities and participants to learn from the experiences of both developed and developing economies for efficient and viable operation of the power sector which is centric to customer needs. The DDW will also foster regional cooperation, support networking and build business opportunities in the area of smart power distribution.

Distributed Renewables in the Context of Universal Access

Title: Achieving Universal Energy Access in the Asia Pacific Region
Time: 9:00 am to 5:30 pm
Location: Multifunction Hall 3 (in new wing)
Organisers: ADB, Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All)

The DDW will benefit government agencies, specifically planning ministries, energy ministries and other attached agencies involved in national electrification. Companies that deploy energy access solutions in the Asia Pacific Region may also find the discussions useful. The objectives of the DDW are to:

position distributed renewable energy systems and other energy access solutions as fundamental pillars of any strategy to achieve universal energy access.
propose methodologies on how governments can determine the optimal combination of energy access solutions for their needs, and how to deploy them in a systematic and scalable manner; and
examine how far the Asia Pacific Region has come in eradicating energy poverty, and what persistent challenges remain.

We hope you have planned to stay until the end of the week, and participate in one of the Deep Dive Workshops on Friday. We find the DDWs to be one of the most enjoyable and productive learning events during the week, since the groups that come together have deep knowledge in an area, and the discussions are generally dynamic and very interactive.
Thank you in advance for joining an ACEF Deep Dive!