Competing coalitions: The politics of renewable energy and fossil fuels in Mexico, South Africa and Thailand

This paper analyses why middle-income countries incentivize renewable energy despite inexpensive domestic fossil fuel resources and lack of international support. We examine the politics of renewable energy programs in Mexico, South Africa and Thailand. All three countries hold abundant local fossil fuel and renewable energy resources. We argue that renewable energy programs become implementable policy options in fossil fuel resource-rich middle-income countries when coalitions of powerful political actors support them. This study presents an analysis of the domestic coalitions in support of and those in opposition to renewable energy policies from a discourse network perspective. Discourse networks reflect actors and the arguments they share to advance or hamper the policy process. The analysis draws on a data set of 560 coded statements in support or opposition of renewable energy from media articles, policy documents and interviews. Findings show similar structures of competing coalitions in all three countries, with the discourse in all three countries revealing strong linkages between environmental and economic considerations

Energy transition pathways for the 2030 agenda: sustainable energy transition road map for Surat Thani province, Thailand

ESCAP and the Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency (DEDE), Thailand Ministry of Energy have collaborated to support three provinces of Thailand in developing their Sustainable Energy Transition (SET) road maps using the NEXSTEP tool. This SET road map, developed for Surat Thani province, identifies the technological options and policy measures that will help the province navigate the transition of its energy sector in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, national targets and commitment towards the Paris Agreement. This SET road map has two main objectives. First, it aims to establish a scenario baseline for the 2019- 2030 period, taking into consideration the current policy settings. Second, it identifies the measures and technological options that could raise Surat Thani&rsquo;s efforts to align with the SDG 7 targets and national targets as well as achieving deep decarbonisation of its energy system</p

Energy transition pathways for the 2030 agenda : sustainable energy transition road map for Udon Thani province of Thailand

ESCAP is also supporting the Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency (DEDE), Ministry of Energy in its “Energy for ALL” programme, by furthering the NEXSTEP initiative to three Thailand provinces. This Sustainable Energy Transition (SET) road map, developed for the province of Udon Thani, identifies the technological options and policy measures that will help the province navigate the transition of its energy sector in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, national targets and commitment towards the Paris Agreement. This SET road map has two main objectives. First, it aims to establish a scenario baseline for 2019-2030, by considering the current policy settings. Second, it identifies the measures and technological options that could raise Udon Thani’s efforts to align with the SDG 7 targets, national targets as well as achieving deep decarbonisation of its energy system. The three scenarios that are presented in detail in this road map are: - The current policy scenario (CPS), which has been developed based on existing policies and plans, and used to identify the gaps in existing initiatives in aligning with the SDG 7 targets and national targets as well as the commitment towards the Paris Agreement; - The sustainable energy transition (SET) scenario, which presents technological options and policy measures that will help the city to align its development with the SDG 7 targets and national targets; - The Towards Net Zero (TNZ) scenario, the most ambitious scenario, which looks at a pathway of moving towards a net zero society in the near future, through decarbonising the electricity supply, fuel substitution and more ambitious electrification. An additional scenario – business as usual (BAU) – has also been modelled to provide a BAU baseline where no enabling policies/initiatives are implemented, or the existing policies/initiatives are failing to achieve their intended outcomes. </p

Energy transition pathways for the 2030 agenda: sustainable energy transition road map for Chiang Rai province, Thailand

The Sustainable Energy Transition Road Map for Chiang Rai Province has two main objectives. First, it aims to establish a scenario baseline for 2019-2030,&nbsp;considering the current policy settings. Second, it identifies the measures and technological options&nbsp;that could raise Chiang Rai&rsquo;s efforts to align with the SDG 7 targets, national targets as well as achieving&nbsp;deep decarbonization of its energy system. The four scenarios are presented in this road map: &bull; The Current Policy scenario (CPS), which has been developed based on existing policies and&nbsp;plans and used to identify the gaps in existing initiatives in aligning with the SDG 7 targets and&nbsp;national targets and commitment towards the Paris Agreement;&nbsp; &bull; The Sustainable Energy Transition (SET) scenario, which presents technological options and&nbsp;policy measures that will help the city to align its development with the SDG 7 targets and national&nbsp;targets; &bull; The Sustainable Transport strategies (STS) explore how the province can further transition its&nbsp;transport sector through a greater degree of mass public transport and electric vehicles usage. &bull; The Towards Net Zero (TNZ) scenario, the most ambitious scenario, looks at a pathway for&nbsp;moving towards a net zero society in the near future, through decarbonizing the electricity supply,&nbsp;fuel substitution and more ambitious electrification.</p