KUALA LUMPUR: The Asia Pacific region's power and utilities industries are expected to witness a significant transformation the coming years, according to clean energy solutions provider Gentari Sdn Bhd.
Chief executive officer Sushil Purohit said the region is likely to experience a substantial increase in renewable energy deployment, driven by declining costs, technological advancements and supportive policies.
He added that solar and wind power are expected to witness significant growth, with an emphasis on expanding capacity.
"Energy storage integration, through technologies like batteries and pumped hydro, will play a crucial role in addressing intermittency challenges and enabling a higher share of renewables.
"Grid infrastructure will be expanded and upgraded to accommodate the growing renewable energy capacity, while demand-side management and energy efficiency measures will gain importance," he told the New Straits Times in an interview recently.
Sushil also said the Asia Pacific region may witness the emergence of green hydrogen as an energy carrier and a focus on electrification in various sectors.
He noted that energy resilience will be prioritised through distributed generation, microgrids and decentralised energy systems to enhance reliability and resilience in the face of climate change and natural disasters.
Sushil said the accelerated investments in commercial solar and green hydrogen in the Asia-Pacific region are expected to have a transformative impact on the energy mix.
He highlighted that the growth of commercial solar projects will contribute to the increased share of renewable energy and reducing carbon emissions.
On the other hand, Sushil said the investments in green hydrogen infrastructure will enable the development of a hydrogen economy, providing a versatile and clean energy carrier for various sectors.
"These investments will enhance energy storage, grid flexibility and energy security, while driving technological advancements and export opportunities.
"Overall, the region is poised to transition towards a cleaner and more sustainable energy mix, driven by solar power and green hydrogen, fostering economic growth and reducing carbon footprint," he said.
Looking ahead, Sushil said Gentari aims to become the preferred green mobility solutions provider in the Asia Pacific region, particularly in Malaysia.
He said the company's ambition is to capture more than 10 per cent of the charge points and vehicle-as-a-service (VaaS) market in key Asian Pacific markets by 2030.
Gentari plans to achieve this by providing solutions across charge point operations and fleet services which caters to businesses such as logistic companies, fleet operators and more.
"To date, Gentari has installed over 160 charge points, on top of being Malaysia's largest DC network operator, established Southeast Asia's biggest electric vehicle (EV) charging hub in Suria KLCC, and was the first to launched Southeast Asia's 350kilowatt supercharger at the X Park Sunway Serene charging hub.
"The hub is also the first in Malaysia to receive the Energy Commission's electric vehicle charging system (EVCS) licence, leading to Gentari becoming the first charge point operator to offer an equitable kilowatt hour pricing mechanism for EV charging in Malaysia," he said.
Sushil further noted that Gentari has been working rapidly to mass deploy its charge points to increase range confidence among EV users and prospective users, as part of the company's efforts in promoting carbon-neutral solutions through green mobility.
He said Gentari's EV fleet solutions have also taken strong traction among businesses seeking to decarbonise their vehicles.