Solar and wind
energy are expected to power up 30% of Southeast Asia’s data centres in 2030,
without the need to rely on battery storage.
According to
energy think tank Ember, six major economies in the region —Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam—are emerging as
global data centre hotspots, with 2.9 gigawatts of new capacity currently in
the pipeline.
Malaysia is
projected to see the fastest growth in data centre electricity use, with demand
expected to rise to 68 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2030 from 9 TWh in 2024.
Emissions from
Malaysia’s data centres could increase sevenfold, reaching 40 MtCO2e by 2030,
the highest in the region. The Philippines is projected to see a rise of up to
14 times in emissions, whilst Indonesia’s could quadruple.
Ember said that
there is a need for “the right mix of policy support, market access and
infrastructure planning” to power data centre growth without driving up
emissions.
“Prioritising
solar and wind power, as well as energy efficiency, supported by strong
policies, a national framework for data centres and collaboration, would help
ensure data centres drive sustainable digital growth rather than deepen
reliance on fossil fuels,” said Shabrina Nadhila, Electricity Policy Analyst
for Southeast Asia at Ember.
Whilst large
tech companies rely on power purchase agreements (PPAs) to secure clean
electricity, smaller operators need better access to flexible options like
virtual PPAs and green tariffs. These can also support storage, helping manage
the variability of renewables.
“National
frameworks, stronger collaboration and better transparency are critical to
ensuring that ASEAN’s digital growth also drives progress,” Nadhila said.
Source: Asian
Business Review (Solar
and wind seen to energise 30% of ASEAN’s data centres in 2030 | Asian Business
Review)
July 21, 2025
