Regional : Promoting Sustainable Energy for All in Asia and the Pacific - Energy Access for Urban Poor (Subproject B)

Energy / Energy efficiency and conservation - Energy sector development and institutional reform

The TA will bring greater collaboration and focus among ADB operations divisions to attend to this unmet need of clean and legal energy access in urban poor areas. It will assist selected DMCs to identify, design and develop projects to address the unmet energy needs of the urban poor and prepare for projects and programs for replication and scaling up using ADB or other sources. It will also review ADB's pipeline of projects in the energy and urban sectors and assist in developing components for energy access in urban informal settlements. Inputs will also be provided to ADB's low cost housing projects where energy efficient measures can be integrated.

The main impact of this Project will be the achievement of the SE4ALL targets in Asia and the Pacific. The specific outcome of this Project will be the increased capacity and investment readiness of urban energy access projects.

Lack of access to modern energy services is not confined only to rural areas. The urban poor, living in informal settlements, and at constant risk of eviction, are excluded from the main benefits of urban life such as easy access to electricity, clean and efficient sources of energy for cooking and heating, and insulated homes.

Electricity connections in urban poor areas is usually sourced from illegal connections, through neighbor's connections, or purchased from illegal power sellers (middle men) due to the inability for the household to apply for a legal connection.

Reviewing the way governments and development communities are improving the lives of the urban poor through a range of upgrading programs, it is clear that these programs do not include access to modern energy among basic services. Energy access has been a neglected component in most programs developed for the urban poor, but this can be addressed by organizing and educating the communities coupled with innovative and sustainable delivery and financing models, making new and improved energy products and services more available and affordable.

The TA will bring greater collaboration and focus among ADB operations divisions to attend to this unmet need of clean and legal energy access in urban poor areas. It will assist selected DMCs to identify, design and develop projects to address the unmet energy needs of the urban poor and prepare for projects and programs for replication and scaling up using ADB or other sources. It will also review ADB's pipeline of projects in the energy and urban sectors and assist in developing components for energy access in urban informal settlements. Inputs will also be provided to ADB's low cost housing projects where energy efficient measures can be integrated.

SE4ALL targets in Asia and the Pacific achieved

Increased capacity and investment readiness of urban energy access projects

Capacity Development

Support to Project Identification and Development

Promote Green Architecture and Energy Efficient Construction Methods

Pilot Demonstration Projects

The TA is aimed at supporting the (i) development of policy frameworks, knowledge networks and capacity of the communities, project developers and sponsors related to urban energy access in DMCs, (ii) project identification and development to build a pipeline of access to energy projects in urban poor areas for ADB financing, (iii) promotion of green architecture and other climate friendly construction methods and technologies, (iv) pilot demonstration projects for scaling up, and (v) dissemination of new business models and best practices to distribution and generation utilities for adoption and potential investment.

Completed/Ongoing Activities:

Output 1. Capacity development.

"Capacity-building workshops were organized, and assistance provided to government, private sector, and microfinance institutions in support of urban clean energy access. These activities included workshops on (i) Improved Cookstoves and Fuels Business Development; (ii) Accessing Green Energy Solutions through Microfinance; and (iii) Urban Energy Access for AsiaPacific Cities. Four (4) workshops were also conducted during the Singapore International Energy Week 2018-2020, i.e., Accelerating Clean Heating and Cooking Access, Deep Dive on Access to Cooling and Clean Cooling Solutions for Asia and the Pacific. Urban energy access sessions were also organized during the Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF) 20172018 and a deep dive workshop on clean cooling was conducted during ACEF 2020.

"ADB and the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development, through its Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Capability for Hindu Kush Himalaya Initiative jointly organized a knowledge-sharing activity on Sustainable Access to Clean Energy for the Hindu Kush Himalaya in Thimphu, Bhutan.

Output 2. Support Project identification and development.

"A clean cooking study was conducted in Iloilo City and San Jose City, Philippines, to gather information on the current households cooking practices and to determine the impact of a potential shift to improved cooking technology and fuel use on indoor air pollution. The results of the study will serve as constructive inputs to the development of specific policies to address the country's slow progress in increasing access to clean cooking.

"Published in March 2020 a report on 'Increasing Access to Clean Cooking in the Philippines: Challenges and Prospects .

"A study was conducted (i) to determine barriers to the deployment of innovative heating and green building technologies and (ii) to identify suitable technologies for renewable energy pilots, in the urban poor ger districts of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. This will serve as basis for potential pilot projects that can later be scaled up through ADB intervention.

Output 3. Green architecture and energy efficient construction methods promoted.

"Initial discussions were made with relevant organizations and desk research was conducted to identify designs and house models, which are affordable, climate friendly, and appropriate to the local cultures an environment.

"Handbook for green architecture and energy efficient construction methods for low-cost housing is currently being prepared. The outline for the handbook is currently under preparation to define geographic and technical scope of samples of energy efficient construction methods and low-cost housing models to be showcased. The Handbook, with a focus on buildings for urban poor in the Asia-Pacific Region. The Handbook will cover three types of urban buildings including residential buildings, public buildings, and commercial buildings in typical climate of developing member countries of ADB, in consideration of the experience and lessons learnt from developed countries. The research will take a life cycle approach, and cover both newly built and reconstructed energy efficient buildings.

Output 4. Pilot demonstration projects.

"The TA supported several activities that led to the implementation of pilots and actual energy access projects. The Changzhi City government, PRC was assisted in the identification and pilot testing of suitable clean heating technologies that can replace household coal-fired heaters. An online platform was initiated to track the progress of the pilot in deploying clean heating technologies in Zhangzi County. The online platform has since been adopted by the Changzi City government to track the progress of its clean heating program at the city-level. A multi-tier framework was developed for classifying technologies that can be used to select or prioritize which technology option is appropriate for a program.

"The Case Study on Clean Heating Technologies: Zhangzi County Pilot is currently being finalized for publication in 2021.

"Support to the East Asia Department, Energy Division in processing the formulation of a two-tranche, stand-alone policy-based lending for $130 million to provide cleaner and affordable energy solutions and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in Mongolia was also provided to help address Ulaanbaatar's severe air pollution.

"A pre-feasibility study has been drafted which describes the business model, implementation arrangements, commodity profile and market assessment of the grid grid-tied solar PV pilot project for cold storage in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines. A financial analysis has been undertaken to show the viability of the pilot.