Published by ADB, the book is coauthored by Prof. Ram M. Shrestha with
Mr. Jiwan S. Acharya, Senior Climate Change Specialist, Clean Energy,
ADB.
The publication focuses on Sustainable Energy Access Planning (SEAP),
which is aimed at “developing a socially inclusive energy supply system
that gives both the poor and the nonpoor sustainable access to at least
the minimum amount of energy for their basic needs.” This type of
planning is also done to identify environmentally sound and
climate-friendly technologies and resource options for providing energy
access, and the associated investment opportunities, Prof. Ram Shrestha
revealed.
Providing an overview of the book which is divided into 10 chapters,
Prof Ram Shrestha explains that a comprehensive framework has been
developed to capture the salient features of SEAP, which includes
assessments of energy demand including the basic minimum energy service
needs of the poor, integrated assessment of costs of supply and demand
side options, benefits, sustainability, and affordability of cleaner
energy access options. “The effective use of the SEAP framework in
developing sustainable and cost-effective energy access plans and
programs would greatly depend on the capacity of the national and
subnational planning and program development institutions to conduct
the various assessments”, he says. Prof. Shrestha adds that
capacity-building activities relevant to the SEAP framework should be
made a regular part of energy access programs and projects.
In his foreword, Dr. Bindu Lohani, Vice-President (Knowledge
Management and Sustainable Development), ADB, and an AIT alumnus stated
that “developing countries of Asia and the Pacific region face a number
of stark challenges in their energy sectors: energy security, the
interlinked issue of energy generation and climate change, and
widespread energy poverty, with hundreds of millions having no access
to electricity and billions more having no access to modern fuels for
cooking or heating.” While ADB desires to help develop Asian countries
achieve a supply of energy that is secure, reliable, accessible to all,
and clean to support the region’s continued transition toward
low-carbon, and sustainable development, sustainable energy access
planning (SEAP) provides a new framework to achieve that goal.
Further details about the book are available at this link:
http://www.adb.org/publications/sustainable-energy-access-planning-framework
From left: Dr. Yongping Zhai, Technical Advisor (Energy), Sector Advisory
Services Division, Regional Sustainable Development Department, Asian
Development Bank (ADB), Prof. Ram Shrestha, and Mr. Jiwan
Acharya.