Since its early development in 2010, Floating Solar has gained more and more popularity. With more than 1 GWp of the project installed, it is now recognized, and well-established market created out of a response to the land scarcity for developing large scale projects. Such development has been attracted investments, but most of the projects are still based on recourse financing, due to the lack of standards, and the absence of clear guidelines and good practices.

The interest in floating photovoltaic power plants (FPV) has grown rapidly in recent years. In many established and emerging markets, such as Japan, South Korea, UK, the People's Republic of China, and India, FPV is already considered as an attractive and viable option. In Southeast Asia, FPV can unlock huge additional capacity in the many existing hydropower plants. However, FPV is relatively new and there is a lack of long-term experience. Reliability and durability is a critical issue that needs to be addressed.

To ensure reliable, affordable, and sustainable future power supplies many countries in Southeast Asia are exploring options for new generation. Floating solar photovoltaics (FPV) are becoming an increasingly competitive option. However, the technology is still nascent, and many potential adopters have questions about its benefits, how to analyze it appropriately, and the underlying technology.

Solar pumps present an opportunity to extend access to irrigation in Asia. The presentation highlighted The Council's multi-pronged research on identifying gaps and solutions to facilitate solar-powered irrigation in a sustainable manner. This ranges from end-users' outlook about solar pumps, financier's risk perceptions and challenges in financing the technology, determinants of sustainability, and a decision support tool to identify locally-suitable deployment strategies for solar pumps.​

Water, energy and food security are three vital sleaze factors that decide the existence and development of a nation. A recent study done in Karnataka, the second-largest arid region in India, revealed that Agricultural Demand Side Management (Ag-DSM) along with the promotion of best irrigation practices with strong policy support can save both electricity and water, creating better food security and a stronger future.

The proprietary Helios microgrid has been demonstrated in Northern Mindanao, Philippines. HeliosAltas Corporation demonstrated how a combination of micro-hydro using a local irrigation canal, PV, storage and Pico grid devices can effectively and economically and cleanly electrify an off-grid community in just a few days. For this proof of concept project, two 500-watt Powerballs micro-hydro units, 650 Watts of PV and 300 AH of AGM batteries were installed to power 10 huts in the village of Kibanban.

Water, electricity, and food are significant vulnerabilities worsened by climate change. Providing for survival now requires independent ownership over these vital resources. Moving beyond infrastructure-centric solutions that worsen existing water extraction rates is thus critical. Zero Mass Water’s SOURCE Hydropanels use only sunlight and air to make drinking water and therefore represent the resource access needs of the 4th Industrial Revolution amidst the uncertainty of climate change and increasing population pressures.

Water/Used Water Utilities are significant power users but also have the opportunity to generate their own power and design facilities which are more efficient. This presentation discussed a number of examples taken from projects around the world, including the Philippines and UK where renewable technologies have been made integral elements of capital investment programs. These examples include a hydro-turbine on a used water treatment plant, hydro-turbine on large scale water transmission lines, solar power at a water treatment site and wind turbines within treatment plants.

In this scene-setting presentation, ADB's Stephane Bessadi emphasized the need to transform the urban utility model. He cited examples of energy use and production in cities and water systems, as well as wastewater energy use. He also gave examples of ADB support to utilities to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.