Uzbekistan, Tashkent, May 3 / Trend D.Azizov/
Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced on May the start of a three-year Asia Solar Energy Initiative (ASEI) to generate about 3000 megawatts of solar energy.
"Given the projected two times growth in the energy demand in the Asia-Pacific region by 2030, there is an urgent need to find innovative ways to produce energy, taking into account the reduction of greenhouse gases," ADB Managing Director General Rajat Nag said to press conference .
ASEI will present a number of projects, as well as mechanisms of financial and information exchange in order to attract commercial banks and private sector to invest in these projects. The ADB representative noted the importance of starting ASEI exactly in Central Asia region that is particularly dependent on hydrocarbon energy resources and is very suitable for development of solar energy.
ADB plans to allocate $2.25 billion in funding this initiative, which is expected to attract additional $6.75 billion investment.
"Given the growing demand in Central Asian countries for electricity, the presence of desert land for large-scale solar energy development, as well as taking into account the obligation to compensate for high level of carbon emissions, a number of Asian countries would be excellent candidates for ADB support in this initiative," said Nag.
The initiators of the program plan to organize a solar energy forum - an international platform for knowledge sharing, which will track the development of "solar" projects and discuss proposals for their implementation. The first conference of the solar energy forum is planned for July 5-6 this year in Manila (Philippines).
Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az
