Photovoltaic energy plays a key role in the regional objectives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Brunei
Brunei relies heavily on natural gas for about 78 per cent of its electricity, followed by coal for 21 per cent, and aims to generate 30 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2035. Unlike neighbouring Southeast Asian countries, Brunei lacks the installed capacity and significant potential for hydropower development, which limits Brunei's ability to integrate floating photovoltaics with its existing hydropower infrastructure.
According to the report, Brunei does not have the technical potential to build floating PV on man-made reservoirs. However, the assessment identified 18 natural water bodies that show promise for future floating PV projects. The potential capacity of floating PV on these water bodies ranges from 137 MW to 669 MW, depending on the distance from the coast.
Cambodia
Cambodia has set a portfolio target for installed capacity to 2030, aiming for 55 per cent hydropower, 6.5 per cent biomass and 3.5 per cent solar, with fossil fuels expected to make up the remaining 35 per cent.
Currently, hydropower is the main source of electricity, accounting for about 45 per cent of total generation as of 2020. The potential for floating PV is estimated at 15-29GW in Cambodian reservoirs and 22-46GW in natural water bodies.
Indonesia
With abundant renewable resources and an ambitious goal of net-zero emissions by 2060, Indonesia's power generation mix currently relies on coal (60 per cent), followed by natural gas (18 per cent), renewables such as hydropower, geothermal and biofuels (17 per cent), and oil (3 per cent).
Despite Indonesia's vast wind and solar resources, these technologies are not yet widely used. Indonesia's state-owned power company, PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara, plans to add about 21GW of renewable energy capacity from 2021-2030, accounting for more than half of the new capacity.
Of this planned capacity, hydropower is expected to contribute 4.9GW and solar is expected to contribute 2.5GW.
According to the report, a total of 1,858 water bodies (including 19 reservoirs and 1,839 natural water bodies) were identified as suitable for floating PV projects. The technical potential assessment indicates a wide range of floating PV capacity, from 170GW to 364GW.
Laos
Laos aims to have 30 per cent of its total energy consumption from renewable sources by 2025.
According to the report, unlike most other ASEAN countries, Laos has a higher potential for floating PV in reservoirs than in natural water bodies. This is either due to the fact that Laos has significant domestic hydropower resources.
Considering the three reservoirs assessed in the report, the floating PV potential in Laos is estimated to be 5-10 GW. Laos has a floating PV potential of around 2-5 GW from natural water bodies.
Combined with the potential of the reservoirs, this equates to a larger range of 9-15GW. However, after using transmission filters to exclude the nearest water body with a transmission line of more than 25 kilometres, the potential of the reservoirs remains unchanged, while the potential of the natural water bodies is reduced by about 8.4-10.1%, depending on the distance from the coast assumption.
Malaysia
By 2030, Malaysia plans to increase its renewable energy capacity to 4GW. in addition, Malaysia has set a target of 31% of installed electricity capacity from renewable energy sources by 2025.
Like Laos, Malaysia demonstrates greater potential for floating PV projects on reservoirs, estimated at 23-54GW, and on natural water bodies, at 13-30GW. total installed electricity capacity in Malaysia is 39GW by 2021.
Another study of six specific sites in Malaysia suggests that floating PV projects could generate approximately 14.5 GWh of electricity annually. by considering all viable water bodies in Malaysia, the report further expands on this finding, with the potential for floating PV projects to generate approximately 47-109 GWh of electricity annually.
Myanmar
By 2025, Myanmar aims to achieve a target of 20 per cent of installed renewable energy capacity. According to Myanmar's 2015 Energy Master Plan, the goal is to increase the share of hydropower in power generation from 50 per cent in 2021 to 57 per cent in 2030.
The report notes that Myanmar's reservoir floating PV potential is relatively low, ranging from 18-35GW. In contrast, the potential of natural water bodies is estimated to be between 21-47GW. The potential capacity of the two combined exceeds Myanmar's total electricity generation. As of 2021, Myanmar's total power generation is approximately 7.6GW.
With the use of transmission filters to exclude the nearest water body with a transmission line more than 25 kilometres away, the potential capacity of reservoirs falls by 1.7-2.1% and natural water bodies by 9.7-16.2%, depending on the distance from the coast assumption.
Philippines
The Philippines has set several priorities for the power sector, including meeting the growing demand for electricity, achieving universal access to electricity by 2022, and installing 15GW of renewable energy by 2030.
In 2019, the Philippines successfully launched its first floating photovoltaic (PV) project, followed by the start of other projects in subsequent years. The potential assessment shows a significantly higher capacity range for floating PV installations in natural water bodies, estimated at 42-103GW, compared to reservoirs with a potential capacity of 2-5GW.
The reservoir potential capacity remains unchanged after excluding the closest water bodies with transmission lines of more than 25 kilometres using transmission filters. Meanwhile, the potential capacity of natural bodies of water is reduced by about 1.7-5.2 per cent.
Singapore
Singapore has set a renewable energy target of 2GW of installed solar capacity by 2030 and meeting 30 per cent of its energy needs through low-carbon electricity imports by 2035.
The report identifies one reservoir and six natural water bodies in Singapore, with a potential of 67-153MW for reservoirs and 206-381MW for natural water bodies.The installed electricity capacity in Singapore with a baseline of 2021 is 12GW.
Singapore has shown great interest in offshore and nearshore floating PV projects, and in this area, Singapore has already constructed a 5MW floating PV project off the coast.
Thailand
Thailand plans to build over 2.7GW of floating PV projects on nine different reservoirs by 2037. The report suggests a huge potential of 33-65GW of floating PV on reservoirs, 68-152GW on natural bodies of water, and 55GW of installed electricity capacity in Thailand in 2021.
When transmission filters are used to exclude the nearest body of water with a transmission line of more than 25 kilometres, the potential capacity drops by 1.8-2.5% for reservoirs and 3.9-5.9% for natural bodies of water.
Vietnam
Vietnam has set an ambitious target of deploying 31-38GW of solar and wind capacity by 2030, in line with its broader goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
Given its heavy reliance on hydropower, Vietnam offers a favourable environment for standalone and hybrid floating PV projects. Among Southeast Asian countries, Vietnam has the largest number of reservoirs suitable for floating PV, totalling 22. The floating PV potential of these reservoirs is estimated to be around 21-46 GW.
Similarly, the potential for floating PV in natural water bodies in Vietnam ranges from 21-54 GW. When transmission filters are used to exclude the closest water bodies with transmission lines of more than 25 kilometres, the reservoir potential capacity remains unchanged, while the potential capacity of natural water bodies decreases by less than 0.5 per cent.