ADB urges Asian countries to focus on energy efficiency

MANILA, Philippines - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Asian countries, including the Philippines, should focus on implementing energy efficiency measures instead of expanding energy generation to ensure continuous energy supply in the region.

According to Gil-Hong Kim, director of ADB’s sustainable infrastructure department, energy efficiency should be an area which Asia also focuses on. “Our energy demand can and must be contained through innovation and public policy.”

The ADB, he said, aims to work together with Asian governments to change public attitudes towards energy use by supporting greater demand side energy efficiency improvements.

He said ADB’s study of energy efficiency suggests that implementing energy efficiency measures is much more cost effective than expanding energy generation.

“With energy efficiency measures investment equivalent to one to four percent of energy sector spending, the region could meet as much as 25 percent of the projected increase in primary energy consumption in developing Asia by 2030,” Kim said in a presentation at the recently concluded Clean Energy Expo Asia 2013 and Energy Efficiency Asia 2013 in Thailand.

Another energy expert, Peter du Pont, vice president of consulting firm Nexant Asia, suggested that for energy efficiency to be effective, it must be viewed as a resource.

According to estimates by the ADB, $944 billion worth of investments is needed in order for Asia to meet its national energy conservation targets by 2020.

This represents an attractive and yet relatively untapped market, which can herald the next spurt of growth in Asia, with the right mix of drivers, policies and business mechanism, the ADB said in its study.

The ADB said that to combat the very real threat posed by the depletion of energy, a concerted effort by governments, businesses and individuals is necessary.