Framing the Renewable Energy Context for Asia

The share of renewable energy in Asian region has been increasing substantially for the past many years. The growing demand for cleaner energy sources, increasing concerns about climate change, surging demand for energy in rural regions, need for integration of advanced technologies etc. have contributed to the increasing share of renewables in the energy mix of many countries. However, Asian countries have also witnessed a surge in the use of conventional fossil fuels. It is expected that with countries like China and India, majority of the fossil fuel consumption in the years ahead will be from the Asian region. The dependency on conventional fossil fuel sources coupled with various socio-political and economic factors limit transition to cleaner sources. In this overview chapter, we highlight the key insights from various chapters related to country specific policies as well as generic cross-cutting themes, and describe the various elements that shape the energy transition in the Asian region.