By Jen Dawes Today was tiring…more so than any other day so far! I don’t know if it’s the jetlag finally catching up with me or a brain overload of amazing content from all the sessions I’ve attended. Either way, I am pushing through and taking in as much as I can! One area of the Blue Zone that I hadn’t looked at much was the Indonesian Pavilion; an area of vibrant colour and passionate people sharing the experiences and lessons learnt of key projects and initiatives. Today I heard three very interesting discussions and found it difficult to choose which one to blog about. I decided on the topic of new renewable energy for emerging economies. This was presented by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Republic of Indonesia and gave a fantastic overview of the many initiatives already underway to address the increasing consumption of the Indonesian population. [gallery ids="447,446,448" type="rectangular" orderby="rand"] In particular, it discussed the potential energy savings in every sector…industry, transportation, household, commercial buildings, and “other”. What made this so interesting was the four key national objectives that were driving support for new renewable technologies and energy efficiency, including:

1. leaders commitment
2. fulfil energy access for remote and/or isolated areas
3. support local industry on new renewables and energy efficiency technology
4. energy subsidies reform

While these can aid the success of addressing energy requirements, it was mentioned that there are many challenges to tackle. These included the high cost of investment, operation, and maintenance for initiatives; a need for increased data accuracy for new renewable potentials; a lack of support from banks and financial institutions to invest in new renewables; and the need for a behavioural change in favour of energy conservation. It did, however, become apparent that Indonesia does have various strategies for energy consumption including their Energy Conservation Campaign Development Strategy, awareness raising through social media and campaign mass media, creating incentive and regulation for behavioural change through party involvement and rural campaigns, and flagship programs making new renewables mainstream in the energy sector.  These all gave a positive outlook on the future of renewable energy in emerging markets. Overall, the session provided a strong basis for what other emerging countries can do to address climate change and create low-cost, low-carbon energy solutions. I look forward to Energy Day tomorrow and hope to hear more about the use of renewable energy in other countries. P.s. the sunset this evening was truly amazing! [gallery ids="438,440,439,437" type="rectangular"]]]>