Strengthening Co-Benefits of Health, Climate Change and Air Quality Improvement in Energy Investments in Asian Cities

Asia and the Pacific have the highest number of air pollution deaths in the world. The health effects were estimated to cost US$ 1.7 trillion in 2016, equivalent to 10% of the regions. Air pollution creates a massive economic burden for governments causing a loss of productive labor, thereby reducing output and incomes, and increased health care and welfare costs. The energy sector is a major source of pollution and therefore a target for efforts to improve air quality.

Integrating Demand Side Management in Urban Cooling Systems

This presentation shared the insights into the demand response scheme at the industrial customers in Singapore. This real case illustrated the benefits of demand response by reducing end-users electricity bills, improving the asset utilization rate, and increasing the efficiency of the whole electricity system. Drawing on Singapore's experience, many Asian countries can glean lessons to provide effective financial and incentive mechanisms to reflect the value of demand response.

Impact on Cooling Demand with Building Efficiency Programme

The Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) is an initiative taken by the Government of India to promote energy efficiency in the commercial building sector. The ECBC is a comprehensive code that provides minimum requirements for the energy efficient design and construction of buildings, and is is applicable to new commercial buildings with states defining the scope according to the state’s suitability.

Smart Low-Carbon District Heating and Cooling for Seoul

Seoul, a 10 million population city, is implementing various policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency. Seoul has a high population density and limited available land; it is a disadvantage for large scale development of solar PV and wind power. However, there are well-equipped district heating and cool infrastructures, and environmental facilities. Also, Solar PV, solar thermal, heat pump, and waste-to-energy are mature technologies. To minimize greenhouse gas emissions, and improve air quality, a system is needed that optimizes these technologies.

Scene Setting: Green Buildings and Eco-Districts Financing and Implementation Mechanisms

How do you promote green building, energy efficiency, performing cooling, and heating methods in countries/cities that are lacking capacity? In this presentation, Mr. Heckmann discussed ADB's Ulaanbaatar Green Affordable Housing and Resilient Urban Renewal Project. It is a large-scale demonstration project and complete solution leveraging private sector investment to deliver affordable and green housing stock. The project also established policies, mechanisms, and standards for sustainable and affordable housing and green urban development.

Solar Energy: It's Not Just Electricity

The presentation acknowledges the role Solar Energy has played in transforming the Electricity sector around the globe and its indispensability to the cause of displacing high emission intensity technologies from the electricity sector, in light of the global commitment under COP 21 of UNFCCC. The presentation attempted to analyze the impact of the deployment of solar energy in achieving sustainable development goals.