Draft #4 Summary_Reader Response: "How can Southeast Asia’s clean energy transition be sped up?"
In the article “How can Southeast
Asia’s clean energy transition be sped up?”, Daubach (2019) addressed the
challenges faced with the transition towards clean energy, and discussed
possible solutions to help accelerate the consumption of clean energy in the
region, which were mentioned at Temasek’s Ecosperity conference. The author
stated that Southeast Asia is a region with diverse stages of development,
where a single solution is not applicable to the entire region. The article
also stated that Southeast Asia is the only region in the world where the
dependence on coal to produce power has increased, contributing to the
production of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. The
article also mentioned Singapore, where utilizing conventional forms of clean
energy on a large scale may not be suitable. The author then highlighted
nuclear fusion, which “has enormous potential” as mentioned by Professor Ian
Chapman at the conference. However, reducing the usage of energy is equally
important, which can be achieved through district cooling. The conference also
stated that businesses and policymakers should form closer partnerships to
reduce cost in key sectors, in order to accelerate the use of clean energy, as
mentioned by Chief Executive Ernest Moniz.
While the challenges and solutions
discussed were insightful, the author failed to explain other essential
considerations related to fusion power, and give examples on how businesses and
policymakers could work together to accelerate the use of clean energy.
The author explained the advantages
of nuclear fusion, and mentioned that existing nuclear fusion facilities are
not capable enough to generate electricity on a large scale. However, there are
other aspects that the author did not cover. For instance, the potential health
risk involved with nuclear fusion. While nuclear fusion does not produce long
lasting radioactive materials, there is a possibility of tritium being released
into the environment. Tritium is radioactive and difficult to contain, as it is
able to infiltrate certain materials like, concrete, rubber and even steel (World
Nuclear Association, 2019). It also mixes well with water, and can enter a
person’s body through several ways, like being inhaled, eaten or being absorbed
through the skin. Even though there is a small quantity of tritium in the
reactor, huge amounts could be released during normal operations through leaks,
and an accident could release even more tritium. Fusion reactors also pose
several issues, for instance, a large “parasitic power consumption” (Jassby,
2017). This means that a substantial amount of the power produced, is being
used by the reactor.
Apart from the potential
health risk, the public's “receptivity” is also essential, as certain parts
of the region may not be comfortable with the use of nuclear power. For
example, in Malaysia and Thailand, the public’s acceptance towards nuclear
power continues to be low (Putra and Andrew, 2018). Nuclear accidents have also
occurred in the past, like the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power accident which
took place in Japan in the year 2011. This incident has highlighted the issue
of nuclear power safety, and has continued to be the public’s most pressing
concern.
The article also states that
policymakers and business should work together to speed up the usage of clean
energy. However, it does not give examples as to how both parties can work
together to meet this goal. One way to achieve this goal is through
establishing a training centre. This could create opportunities for businesses
to share their ideas with policymakers, to help them better understand
renewable energy. For instance, the Sustainable Energy Association
of Singapore (SEAS) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have launched a training
centre, which will train government officials in the region on policy,
financial, and technological issues relating to clean energy in an effort to
help countries accelerate their usage of renewable energy (Shah and Chaem,
2015).
Although the solutions discussed at
the conference has the potential to speed up the consumption of clean energy in
Southeast Asia, the author should have discussed the solution in a more
comprehensive manner.
(647 words)
Daubach, T. (2019, July 19). How can Southeast Asia's clean
energy transition be sped up?, Eco-business. Retrieved September 28, 2019,
from https://www.eco-business.com/news/how-can-southeast-asias-clean-energy-transition-be-sped-up/.
Jassby, D. (2017, April 19). Fusion
reactors: Not what they're cracked up to be, The Bulletin. Retrieved September
28, 2019, from https://thebulletin.org/2017/04/fusion-reactors-not-what-theyre-cracked-up-to-be/.
Nuclear Fusion Power. (2019, July).
Retrieved September 28, 2019, from https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/nuclear-fusion-power.aspx.
Putra, N. A., & Andrews-Speed,
P. (2018, June 28). Prospects for Nuclear Power in ASEAN, The Diplomat.
Retrieved September 28, 2019, from https://thediplomat.com/2018/06/prospects-for-nuclear-power-in-asean/.
Shah, V., & Chaem, J. (2015, March
26). Meeting Southeast Asia's ambitious clean energy targets, Eco-business.
Retrieved September 28, 2019, from https://www.eco-business.com/news/meeting-southeast-asias-ambitious-clean-energy-targets/.
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