Pathways to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 °C in line with the Paris Agreement long-term temperature goal and achievement of Sustainable Development Goals involve energy system transitions with strong uptake of renewables by 2050. Fossil fuels currently dominate the energy systems of the ASEAN countries, a region that has abundant untapped renewable resources. This paper expounds an approach of how the ASEAN region may substantially increase uptake of renewable energy. It provides an overview of the shortfalls in energy targets and investigates the technical potential of a selection of renewable energy technologies throughout the region.

The findings demonstrate confidence that an energy system decarbonisation pathway for the ASEAN region is possible, however, current policies and action are lacking for achieving any level of decarbonisation by 2050. Further studies are necessary to refine the ASEAN region’s renewable resource technical potential as well as its commercial feasibility based on available technologies. Improvements are also necessary to build confidence in the accuracy of energy statistics to support such studies. Additionally, a review of the ASEAN region’s energy supply system would be required to inform such a feasibility study.