Southeast Asian Island Nations Eye China's Smart Energy Solutions

Chengdu, China (ANTARA) - At the recently held China Smart Energy Conference 2026 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, officials and businesspeople from ASEAN countries and China discussed cooperation on smart energy solutions that could be applied across Southeast Asia.

The conference aimed to harness digital technology to improve the capacity for utilising new energy and to support the development of regional power grids.

Among those in attendance was Kiwi Aliwarga, an Indonesian entrepreneur from the technology company IdeaLLab.

According to Kiwi, Indonesia faces a number of natural constraints in building an integrated energy and electricity supply network that must span so many islands, which is why energy digitalisation has become a focus for the relevant industries in Indonesia.

“As digital technology development has grown rapidly in Indonesia in recent years, the country faces a great need for clean and stable energy supplies. We feel that the technologies and solutions showcased by Chinese companies offer fresh ideas for Indonesian industry,” said Kiwi.

Kiwi held discussions with potential partners at various exhibition stands about smart energy platforms, energy storage systems and advanced energy management software, as well as the possibility of deploying them in Indonesia. He also expressed hope that his company could establish partnerships with counterparts in China.

Several industry experts participating in the event said the relationship between energy systems and artificial intelligence (AI) has shifted from a model of “AI empowering energy” to one of “mutual empowerment between the two”.

This is because a number of Chinese smart energy solutions have evolved from single innovations into full value chains encompassing electricity generation, transmission, distribution and consumption, with the potential to lower electricity costs while raising the level of intelligence, digitalisation and energy efficiency.

Echoing Kiwi, Brian James Lu of the Association for Philippines-China Understanding (APCU) highlighted the future potential of smart energy technology.

“Energy costs in the Philippines are among the highest in the ASEAN region, and many companies are actively exploring smarter and more sustainable solutions. This could help bring down electricity costs and, in turn, enhance the competitiveness of businesses,” said Lu.