Renewable Energy for Agriculture: Insights from Southeast Asia

A Focus on Heating and Cooling Needs

The agriculture sector is a key economic sector in Southeast Asia and an important driver of socio-economic development, supporting the livelihoods of a significant share of the region’s population.

Access to modern, reliable and affordable energy is vital to enable growth in the sector; at each step of the value chain, energy helps to increase yields, add value, reduce losses and improve market access.

Through detailed case studies, this brief examines the role of renewables in meeting growing energy needs in the agriculture sector in an inclusive and environmentally sustainable manner, with a specific focus on meeting heating/cooling needs, given that this end-use sector is often overlooked in conventional discussions on the energy transition.

Key actions to scale up the use of renewables in the agriculture sector include:

• the need to follow a value chain approach to identify high-impact renewable energy opportunities;
• developing targets and strategies for heating/cooling applications;
• strengthening cross-sector planning and partnerships;
• designing financing products for end-users, enterprises and ecosystem actors;
• facilitating technology innovation and piloting; and
• emphasising inclusivity in programme design and implementation.