As the world hurtles towards a transition to renewable energy, South-east Asia is emerging as one of the fastest growing solar energy markets. Driven by rising demand for electricity, sunny weather and government policies, Asean’s solar energy development has accelerated in recent years; and industry observers are tipping the region as a key player in the value chain of the future.

Bristol-led team uses nanomaterials made from seaweed to create a strong battery separator, paving the way for greener and more efficient energy storage. Sodium-metal batteries (SMBs) are one of the most promising high-energy and low-cost energy storage systems for the next-generation of large-scale applications. However, one of the major impediments to the development of SMBs is uncontrolled dendrite growth, which penetrate the battery’s separator and result in short-circuiting.

The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (KeTSA) announced today that Malaysia brought home 12 awards in various categories at the ASEAN Energy Awards 2022 (AEA). Held in Cambodia, the AEA is Southeast Asia's highest reward for excellence, recognizing organizational efforts in sustainable energy management, practices, and efficiency in the region.

Southern California Gas (SoCalGas) has reported producing its first renewable hydrogen in a microgrid. The microgrid project, named the [H2] Innovation Experience, is located in Downey in the southeast of Los Angeles and features a 185m2 home that can use hydrogen on a 24/7/365 basis. Solar panels will provide power, with the excess converted into green hydrogen, which can then be stored and reconverted back into electricity, as needed, via an on-site hydrogen fuel cell.

Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) has entered into a strategic collaboration with Prasarana Malaysia Bhd to supply high-voltage electricity to three main switch stations along the Light Rail Transit (LRT) project of the LRT Shah Alam Line, formerly known as LRT3. In a joint statement on Sunday, both companies said the collaboration will start at the end of 2022 and the LRT Shah Alam Line is expected to be operational and open to the public by 2025.

The European Parliament approved a draft law that prohibits the sale of new carbon dioxide-emitting vehicles and is set to take effect in 2035. The vote upholds a key pillar of the European Union’s plans to cut net planet-warming emissions 55 percent by 2030, from 1990 levels – a target that requires faster emissions reductions from industry, energy and transport.

Electricity tariffs will be lower for the October to December period compared with the previous quarter, SP Group said on Friday (Sep 30) after six consecutive quarters of increase. For the period from Oct 1 to Dec 31, the electricity tariff, excluding Goods and Services Tax (GST) will decrease by an average of 1.4 per cent or 0.42 cent per kWh compared with the previous quarter, said SP Group in a news release.

Worldwide employment in renewable energy reached 12.7 million last year, a jump of 700,000 new jobs in one year, despite the lingering effects of COVID-19 and the growing energy crisis, according to a new report.

Sudden and unexplained gas leaks detected in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines from Russia to Germany have prompted investigations by European countries into the cause amid fear of possible sabotage. Denmark’s armed forces on Tuesday released video showing bubbles rushing to the surface of the Baltic Sea above the pipelines, and said the largest gas leak had caused surface disturbances of well over one kilometer in diameter.

The United States concluded the first-ever Global Clean Energy Action Forum with an incredible array of international announcements to accelerate the equitable transition to a cleaner and more secure energy future. U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm chaired the inaugural event which convened thousands of clean energy leaders – government ministers, CEOs, innovators, civil society, young professionals.

Saudi Arabia has launched five new projects to produce electricity using renewable energy, with a total capacity of 3,300 megawatts, the state news agency (SPA) reported on Sunday. The projects, which include producing power through solar and wind, were launched by the Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC), which is the principal buyer.

Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) is investing RM21 billion in its Grid of the Future programme from 2022 to 2024 to enhance its transmission and distribution network readiness and reliability. Its president and CEO, Baharin Din, said that on a regional level, TNB is proactively identifying transmission grid locations that will improve market integration, adding that it will work closely with local authorities.