Tapping the power around us: A promising path to sustainable development in East Asia

In an era defined by the twin imperatives of environmental protection and economic resilience, one of the pertinent yet less explored questions is: Can we harness the power that is already around us? In East Asia, where both rural traditions and rapid modernisation coexist, the answer to this question is not only yes – it’s a solution waiting to get the needed acceleration.

From the paddy fields of Vietnam to the steppes of Mongolia, from the bustling streets of Bangkok to the remote mountain villages of Laos, communities are surrounded by untapped sources of renewable energy that are both accessible and affordable. The sun above us, the waste we discard, the livestock we raise and the collective spirit of community that binds us — all hold vast potential to transform our energy systems and improve our quality of life.

The Power of the Sun: Lighting Homes and Hope

The countries of East Asia are blessed with abundant sunlight. Regions across Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam receive high solar irradiation throughout the year. Yet many rural communities remain unelectrified or suffer from unreliable grid connections. This is where solar power can play a game-changing role.

In Vietnam, solar-powered irrigation systems have already begun to support smallholder farmers in the Mekong Delta. Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor has integrated large-scale solar farms, but decentralized rooftop solar in rural homes still lags behind its potential. In Myanmar, according to World Bank data of 2022 where nearly 25% of the population still lacks access to electricity, solar home systems offer a clean, affordable and scalable solution.

Even in Mongolia, known for its harsh winters, nomadic herders and small settlements are looking towards using solar panels to power lights, radios and mobile phones in their Gers (traditional home), showing that solar is not limited by geography but enabled by ingenuity.

Beyond lighting, solar cookers are emerging in China and Vietnam, reducing dependence on biomass and improving indoor air quality. Solar dryers for fish and agricultural produce — already being used successfully in pockets of Cambodia and northern Thailand — are helping communities reduce food spoilage and add value to local products.

According IRENA's data of 2022, the ASEAN region only has 26.6 GW of installed solar capacity, while the potential of solar energy for the region is roughly 30,523 GW. This is an indication of the huge potential that awaits to be tapped using the power of the sun.

The Power of Household Waste: From Burden to Benefit

Across East Asia, urbanisation has brought with it the challenge of mounting household waste. But instead of viewing it as a burden, we can see it as a valuable energy source.

In China, a national push for cleaner energy alternatives has spurred biogas projects in rural and peri-urban areas. Millions of rural households (with 4 to 5 members) already use small biogas digesters that convert food and organic kitchen waste into cooking gas and fertiliser.

However, there is still tremendous untapped potential at the household level in this context. Encouraging every home to manage its organic waste through biogas can reduce methane emissions, improve sanitation and provide free cooking fuel. Small families can also tap the power of converting kitchen waste to nutrient rich compost.

In East Asian countries, where infrastructure for waste management is limited, small-scale biogas plants can offer both environmental relief and economic support. When households realise that their kitchen wastes can cook the next meal, the economics of sustainability becomes deeply personal.

The Power of Livestock Manure: Rural Energy from Tradition

In the rural heartlands of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Mongolia, livestock farming is a vital livelihood — and cattle dung, often seen as waste, holds significant potential. Traditional practices of drying dung for fuel are giving way to modern biogas digesters that produce clean gas for energy and organic slurry as nutrient rich manure.

Various development organisations have introduced small biogas units across Cambodia and Vietnam over the years, helping thousands of rural households reduce reliance on firewood and improve respiratory health, particularly for women who spend long hours cooking indoors. In China, as mentioned earlier, favourable government policies have accelerated the adoption of domestic biogas plants in the country with much scope for scale up. Meanwhile, in Mongolia efforts are underway to adapt biomass technologies for cleaner energy suitable for the extreme cold climate.

The energy stored in livestock waste is enormous — not only does it meet household energy needs, but it also restores soil fertility, enhancing food security in a region where land degradation is a growing threat.

The Power of Community Waste: Collective Energy Solutions

East Asian culture places strong value on community — a spirit that can be harnessed in developing shared energy systems. Markets, housing colonies, temples, public canteens etc.  generate large volumes of organic waste that can fuel community-scale biogas, waste to energy, making energy pellets or composting systems.

China is operating 4 municipal waste-to-energy units, generating about 480 gigawatts of electricity annually. Similarly, Vietnam’s capital Hanoi operates waste-to-energy plant that uses municipal waste to generate electricity of about 129 megawatts annually. According to a study published in MDPI’s Applied Sciences journal in Oct 2020, the untapped potential of energy generation from municipal waste in 6 ASEAN countries was about 17.26 terawatt-hours (TWh). This shows the huge potential that is available for scaling up.

Establishing and tapping into such decentralised clean energy systems at the community level utilising the community waste can help reduce dependence on the central grid, reduce carbon emissions, save costs and can be more sustainable. By turning community waste into community power, we not only address waste management issues but also promote inclusive development and job creation. Operators, technicians, waste collectors — all find meaningful roles in these circular systems.

Adding Value to Life for Sustainable Development

The value of tapping into these untapped power sources — i.e. solar, waste, livestock and community establishments — is its ability to meet our most basic and daily energy needs, in a decentralised and sustainable manner. These include lighting our homes, meeting our cooking energy needs, irrigating our farms, running our basic electrical appliances etc.

In all of these, the cost savings are significant. Households no longer need to depend or buy LPG cylinders or diesel fuel. Women in rural communities spend less time gathering firewood, and children can study in clean, reliable lighting.

Harnessing local energy sources goes beyond practical utility — it adds holistic value to life, such as:

• Reduced expenses free up income for education, health and small investments.
• Enriched soil from compost and biogas slurry boosts food production — improving nutrition and resilience against climate shocks.
• Cleaner environments from reduced fossil fuel / biomass burning and better waste management improve public health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Community empowerment through participation, ownership and employment brings dignity and social cohesion.

Most of all, there is a growing sense of satisfaction and self-reliance. When a village in Laos lights its school with solar energy, or a family in Cambodia cooks with biogas from their own household waste, they are not just consuming energy — they are shaping their future.

I have personally witnessed the positive transformation in the lives of households who benefitted from World Vision’s solar energy applications in remote parts of Mongolia, waste to energy initiatives in Thailand and solar energy applications in agriculture in other communities across East Asia. Hundreds of children have benefitted from the solar electrification programmes of World Vision in various schools of Vietnam. The scope for scale up is enormous and waiting to be harnessed.

The energy solutions we seek for driving a holistic and sustainable development are already with us and around us. To unlock them, we need:

• Policy support that incentivises decentralised renewable energy and waste-to-energy models.
• Training and awareness for local communities to adopt and maintain systems.
• Financing models that make clean technologies accessible to the poor.
• Partnerships and collaboration to share and drive best practices and indigenous innovations into the grassroots.

Importantly, harnessing the untapped power around us is not about replacing national grids — it is about complementing them. In many East Asian countries, from China to Vietnam, electricity grids are still heavily reliant on coal-fired power, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Rural areas often face power shortages or outages, while urban centres bear the brunt of pollution. Local renewable energy — solar, biogas and waste-to-energy — can bridge the energy access gap, reduce pressure on central grids, and cut emissions at the source. It adds resilience, offers energy security and delivers power that is cleaner, closer and community-driven. Let us reimagine waste as wealth.

Let us see the sun not just as source of heat or light, but as a harvest. Let us treat community not just as a social entity, but as centres of collective strength for transformation. In this lies the path to a future that is not only green - but grounded in the power of decentralisation, community action and community ownership for sustainable development.

Dr. Salmon Jacob is Regional Climate Change Adaptation Advisor, World Vision East Asia. The views and opinions expressed are his own.