ISES 2018 to discuss future of energy market

KUALA LUMPUR: Reinventing the business model for power utilities and the blockchain’s future role in the energy market will be among the topics discussed at the Fourth International Sustainable Energy Summit (ISES) 2018.

The summit would be coorganised by the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) and the Sarawak Ministry of Utilities from April 10-11 in Kuching.

In a statement yesterday, Organising Chair of the Summit and chief executive officer of SEDA Malaysia, Catherine Ridu said other key topics to be discussed includes envisioning the future of the electricity market at the global level and initiatives by both the Federal government and state to transform it.

She said in line with the Sarawak state government’s strategic vision on digitisation of the electricity system and global trend in sustainable energy, the summit would also be covering the emergence of energy storage systems topics under the deep dive workshops (DDWs).

“The summit will have three plenary sessions and 10 DDWs, and around 80 international and local thought leaders have been invited as speakers and chairs,” she added.

Catherine said the DDWs would also discuss other topics, including a review of the renewable energy industry and market developments in the solar photovoltaic (PV) system, bioenergy, hydropower, remote electrification and energy efficiency.

“In line with the region’s growing solar PV market, there will also be sessions to discuss the impact of integrating large scale distributed solar PV systems to the grid, best practices on auctioning of large scale renewable energy projects and designing effective sustainable energy policies,” she said.

She said the event would feature experts from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the United States Agency for International Development and the International Renewable Energy Agency.

Experts from the Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme of the International Energy Agency, ASEAN Centre for Energy, World Bank, Smart Electric Power Alliance, International Hydropower Association and ambassadors from the USA, Netherlands, Sweden, Iran and the EU Head of Delegation to Malaysia would also participate.

A business matching session would be available to promote commercial activities, involving stakeholders such as investors, technology providers, financial institutions and related government agencies.

“We are anticipating around 700 attendees from more than 25 countries at the summit,” Catherine said.