Feeling the blue (economy)?

It’s been a good month for Southeast Asia’s green economy as investment capital keeps pouring in. Plus, can we cover the blue economy if our name is Green SEA? 🤔 I think we can - I mean, our logo has one blue wave.

Vietnam to receive US$5 billion for sustainable economy development - The fund will come from China-headquartered Asian Infrastructure Bank.

Three projects worth USD 223 million have been approved, namely:

• USD 75 million financing contract for SEABank to issue and manage Vietnam’s first blue bond,

• USD 47.5 million into Dakdrinh Hydropower Plant in a feat to increase the Bank’s renewable energy portfolio,

• USD 100 million into VPBank to expand working capital and trade-related lending programs for SMEs affected by Covid-19.

Drop some money 🎵 - Samsara Eco has secured an additional $65 million in funding to establish advanced recycling facilities across Southeast Asia. These facilities will process millions of tons of plastic waste, including discarded textiles and packaging.

The company’s innovative technology (i.e. plastic-eating enzymes 🔥 ) allows for infinite recycling, re-manufacturing new plastics from plastics waste without the need for virgin plastic supplementation.

And some more money 🎶 - Xurya, an Indonesian renewable energy company offering solar rooftop rental without initial cost, has secured a US$55 million investment. As the first of its kind in Indonesia, Xurya plays a crucial role in driving the adoption of rooftop solar across the nation.

Since 2018, they’ve been pioneers in using IoT for remote solar operations and embedding machine learning in their solar projects. To date, Xurya has successfully completed over 170 solar projects

Nuclear, a new food for thought? Energy-intensive data centers may have to go nuclear to balance between rising demands for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and commitment to reduce emission.

💚How energy-intensive are AI according to studies?

A simple ChatGPT query uses 10 times more energy than a Google search.

It takes as much energy to generate one simple AI image as it does to charge a smartphone,

A study even predicts AI could use as much energy as the Netherlands by 2027.

💙How efficient is nuclear energy?

Nuclear energy produces no greenhouse gas emissions during operation. With the same impact as wind when it comes to its carbon dioxide output, nuclear energy emits a third of the emissions as solar.

🟩What’s the current state of play?

Tech companies are interested in building less-costly small modular reactors. So far only China has deployed this technology.

OpenAI are looking at a plan for fusion energy that provide almost limitless, carbon-free electricity that produces no long-lived radioactive nuclear waste.

🔷What are the concerns?

Safety - If you watched Oppenheimer, you get a fraction of how dangerous nuclear could be.

Environment damages - Waste generated by nuclear plants, or objects that are contaminated from contact with the nuclear plants, stays radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years.

Not to mention, nuclear power plants are costly and take a long time to build.

More green waves this way

More recognition - Waste collectors play an important role in the circular economy, and what have organizations do to protect their rights?

Blue carbon justice in China -Blue carbon credits are increasingly become a way for offenders to meet legal obligations after damaging natural marine resources. However, direct restoration remains the priority, with financial compensation or alternative forms of redress to be considered where direct restoration is not viable.

Invest in the blue - Indonesia’s blue economy is highly valued, but under invested.

Can one capture the sun? Yes, with battery storage.

Had fun riding the green waves? Hit reply, let us know!

Wish you a wonderful day.