Updates from March 2021
Continuing with support for the net-metering program in the Philippines, USAID Clean Power Asia and partners completed five sessions of the webinar series on Fixed Customer Charges and Other Rate Design Considerations for the Philippines Net-Metering Program which were scheduled weekly during mid-February and March. The purpose of the webinar series was to build capacity for Energy Regulatory Commission staff to understand different approaches and implications of fixed customer charges and other rate design considerations on limiting the rate impact of the net-metering program.
On March 12, in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the USAID Southeast Asia Energy Hub, USAID Clean Power Asia hosted a webinar as part of the Power Sector Learning Series on Transforming the Power Sector: Regulatory Design for Disruptive Technologies. The webinar highlighted regulatory designs to support disruptive technologies in the power sector, including a case study from Thailand, a deep-dive on principles and international applications of tariff designs, and a distributed energy resource roadmap from the U.S. experience.
On March 26, USAID Clean Power Asia, in collaboration with the Global Green Growth Institute, hosted the Final Workshop on Laos Solar Pilot Auction, to discuss the benefits of renewable energy competitive procurement and present the auction design and related documents to government stakeholders involved in approval and implementation, including a discussion on next steps. Participants hailed from various government agencies including provincial authorities, and as the official end of USAID Clean Power Asia programming, the auction announcement package is wending its way through the internal review and approval process of the Government of Laos.
USAID Clean Power Asia RE policy staff continued to work closely with Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) experts on revising the Guidelines for Developing BESS Technical Standards in Thailand and addressing comments from a focus group and stakeholder workshop last month and will submit the guidelines to the Office of the Energy Regulatory Commission. USAID Clean Power Asia RE policy staff also continued collaboration with HNEI experts to finalize the second part of the interconnection regulations for Laos, with the first part previously submitted to EDL in December 2020. The completed interconnection regulations will have been successfully submitted to EDL by the end this month.
How we foster supportive policy frameworks
USAID Clean Power supports Lower Mekong countries to improve the enabling environment for grid-connected renewable energy development by analyzing barriers and policy impacts; facilitating the exchange of lessons learned and best practices among Lower Mekong countries and the wider ASEAN community; conducting stakeholder consultations; and developing pilot programs. Activities under three focused themes (Distributed Photovoltaics, Solar Farms, and Resource Complementarity) include technical support for the development or improvement of both policy and incentives and regulations and standards.