WHEN YOU FLICK A SWITCH, WHAT TURNS ON THE POWER?

A flick of a switch. That's all it takes to turn on the power in most Southeast Asian cities. While this
modern convenience might be taken for granted by most city dwellers, one fifth of the population in
Southeast Asia still have little or no access to electricity. But that is about to change. As Southeast Asia
continues to develop, its hunger for energy has risen unabated. It is estimated by the International
Energy Agency (IEA), that between 2011 and 2035, the increase in demand will be 1,200 terawatt-
hours. If you want to know how much that is, consider this - 1 terawatt hour of energy is enough to
power a city of 200,000 people for an entire year. How will Southeast Asia continue to fuel its economic
growth and increasingly urban lifestyles?

We take a look at some of the ways Southeast Asia is approaching the challenge.

THERMAL POWER PLANT

A thermal power plant is powered by steam which is derived from heating water. The steam passes
through a turbine which drives an electrical generator. After passing through the turbine, the steam
condenses in a condenser before being recycled to where it is heated up. Thermal power plants are
differentiated by the different fossil fuels, also known as hydrocarbons, used to heat up water. Given
that Southeast Asia is home to hydrocarbon titans in the shape of Indonesia and Malaysia, it should
come as little surprise, thermal power plants fueled by coal and natural gas dominate the energy
landscape. While it is projected that by 2035 half of the region’s power profile will be coal fired, most
plants in operation are of an average efficiency of just 34% due to sub-critical technologies being
deployed. But there may be light at the end of the tunnel. Malaysia’s Jimah Power Plant, for which
Toshiba was involved in the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) stages, runs on cutting
edge technology. With highly efficient equipment including steam turbines and generators, the plant is
able to reduce the consumption of natural resources. That not only means less coal is consumed but
there is the added benefit of reduced CO2 emissions.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Geothermal Energy works by tapping steam and hot water from the earth’s core to generate electricity
in a power plant. There are 3 types of geothermal power plants:

1. Dry Steam Plants that pipes steam from geothermal reservoirs into generators. The steam
spins the turbines which in turn generate electricity.
2. Flash Steam Plants brings hot water (between 148 – 371 degrees) up through a well,
converting it to steam. The steam drives the turbines which produce electricity. When the
steam cools, it condenses back into water and is returned to the ground.
3. Binary Cycle Plants passes hot geothermal water through a heat exchanger where the heat is
used to heat up a liquid which boils at a lower temperature than water. When that liquid turns
to steam, the steam is used to spin the turbine generating power.

Currently the hot topic in clean energy, geothermal energy is showing plenty of promise. It is
renewable and can be naturally replenished. Toshiba, with the world’s largest share of geothermal
power output, is poised to become the leading player in the field of geothermal power generation. In
Indonesia, where there are many volcanoes, Toshiba is supplying essential equipment for the Patuha
geothermal power plant. Patuha is a full turnkey project for a 55 MW geothermal power plant. Besides
that, Toshiba’s steam turbines and generators will power the Sarulla Geothermal Power Plant, one of
the largest in the world. Expected to start operation in 2016, the plant’s output alone, is expected to
account for approximately 1% of Indonesia’s total power generation. With plenty of room to grow and
develop, geothermal energy arguably offers Southeast Asia the best chance of developing a sustainable
model for power generation.

HYDRO POWER

Water is held behind a dam forming an artificial reservoir. When released through the dam, the
water spins the blades of a giant turbine, generating power. Rivers are the lifeblood of people in
Southeast Asia and increasingly, it is becoming an invaluable source of energy generation.
Hydropower is expected to have the second fastest growth rate after coal for the countries in the
Great Mekong region, including Cambodia and Laos. Southeast Asia’s largest hydropower facility, the
Son La Dam on the Da River, resides in Vietnam. And with China taking an avid interest in many of the
hydropower projects in the region, you can be sure that hydropower is here to stay. Although, the
same social, environmental and geopolitical factors that affect similar mega hydropower projects
around the world may yet stall its progress. But beyond all the power generation technologies we
have mentioned, without a Transmission and Distribution system or power grid, there won’t be a
constant supply of power for any of the countries.

TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION

Since electrical energy cannot be stored, it needs to be generated in real time to meet demand. The
power grid moves the power from the plants through electrical substations which transforms voltages
from high to low and then distributes the electricity to demand centres.

For Toshiba, clean and efficient energy infrastructure is one of its areas of core expertise and in
Southeast Asia, the company has been contributing to the development of Malaysia’s power industry
for over 30 years.

Through TOS Energy Malaysia Sdn Bhd (TOSEM), the company provides energy generation solutions
as well as the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) of power plant projects. While at
Toshiba Transmission & Distribution Systems Asia (TTDA), total system integration solutions for power
grid infrastructure is its expertise. As a technology leader at the forefront of developing power grid
infrastructure, TTDA provides the infrastructure to bring electricity from power plants to the people,
through its Smart Grid Solutions.

So what does the future hold for Southeast Asia in the area of power generation? It is increasingly clear
that in the long term, it's imperative to develop sustainable power supply from a variety of sources. And
the work of governments, collaborating with private enterprises like Toshiba, who have the requisite
expertise to drive these energy projects, will become even more important.

By combining expertise derived from Toshiba’s wide range of technologies and services, the company’s
visionary concept of a ‘Human Smart Community’ can be achieved through ‘lifenology’. Coined from the
words ‘life’ and ‘technology’, it refers to the combination of Toshiba’s array of technologies and
services to improve the quality of life. The creation of a product philosophy that puts people’s
wellbeing first while developing solutions that address the issues that crop up in our everyday lives.

Toshiba with more than 110 years in the energy generation business across the diverse fields of
hydropower, geothermal energy, wind, and thermal power is uniquely placed to contribute to
Southeast Asia’s burgeoning energy future.

Given its geography and access to natural resources, if Southeast Asia continues to invest in
technologies that tap efficiently into these resources, then powering an entire region with clean
energy would not just be a pipe dream.