Cambodia renewable energy report 2016
Cambodia has an opportunity to become a leader in clean, renewable electricity as renewable energy sources such as sun, wind, water and biomass energy abound. Choices made in the coming months and years could lead to seizing opportunities to leapfrog and embrace the best technologies now or to continued over reliance on heavily polluting, high carbon fossil fuel power generation, non-sustainable hydro power projects or even to a dependence on risky and costly nuclear power. Over 6 million people do not yet have access to grid-quality electricity in Cambodia. Cambodia currently depends mainly on large scale hydro power and fossil fuels and its power development plan to 2030 continues that dependence. This report shows that another future is possible, where a diverse mix of renewable sources can meet nearly all of Cambodia’s electricity demand by 2050. Electricity consumption in Cambodia has been growing very rapidly, averaging 20% growth per annum since 2010 and the rate of increase is accelerating as national grid is rapidly developed and average incomes rise.