(in photo above) Participants from Thailand (top) and Malaysia (bottom) during the in-person RENEW-SEA capacity building activities conducted from April to May, 2025.  

From heritage-rich Chiang Mai to the growing urban landscape of Melaka, Southeast Asian local governments are strengthening their role in the renewable energy transition. 

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability recently rolled out a series of in-person and online renewable energy (RE) capacity-building activities and policy dialogues in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand and Melaka State, Malaysia.  

Held from April to May 2025 under the RENEW-SEA: Mobilizing and Empowering Subnational Governments in Southeast Asia for Sustainable Energy Transition project, the engagements focused on practical learning, multi-level governance, and peer collaboration to realize local energy transitions. 

It brought together around 40 in-person participants and over 460 online participants across both countries, including city officials, technical experts, private sector RE providers, academics, and non-profit organizations to explore pathways for RE and energy efficiency (EE) implementation. 

Building Chiang Mai’s Renewable Energy Readiness  

The RENEW-SEA capacity building workshop in Chiang Mai Municipality, Thailand.

On 24-25 April 2025, ICLEI conducted a two-day event at the Chiang Mai Municipal Office, attended by representatives from the Thailand Energy Ministry, Chiang Mai Municipal Government, Chiang Mai Provincial Government, Ton Pao Municipality, Rangsit Municipality, and the private sector. 

The first day featured a comprehensive renewable energy capacity-building workshop covering strategic planning, financing, and basic RE and EE concepts tailored to Chiang Mai’s local contexts. A key highlight was the launch of RENEW-SEA’s first batch of English knowledge products, offering practical guidance for local RE planning and implementation.  

Participants discussed Chiang Mai’s current challenges, such as limited wind energy potential, high energy demands from smart infrastructure, and restrictions on rooftop solar installations in its protected old city zone. The municipality also lacks an official RE roadmap, but expressed a strong interest in setting targets, such as increasing RE power generation by 20%. To help overcome financial constraints related to the energy shift, the workshop introduced financing tools like the ENCON Fund, public-private partnerships, and innovative mechanisms such as ESCOs and green bonds.  

The RENEW-SEA multi-level governance dialogue in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The second day focused on multi-level governance (MLG) dialogue, bringing together national, provincial, and municipal officials to discuss better policy alignment. Key recommendations included simplifying licensing for small-scale projects, strengthening financial incentives, and supporting local governments with capacity development and access to decentralized funding mechanisms. 

Following up on these local activities, ICLEI Southeast Asia on 6 and 13 May 2025 hosted online RE and EE capacity building workshops on the fundamentals of RE and EE, and strategic planning for RE and EE projects.   

Peer Learning and Policy Dialogues in Hang Tuah Jaya, Melaka 

In Malaysia, the in-person RENEW-SEA engagements were held from 7-8 May 2025 in Melaka State. Hang Tuah Jaya served as the deep-dive city, with participation from the Melaka Green Technology Corporation, Shah Alam City Council, Melaka Historic City Council, Jasin Municipal Council, Penang Island City Council, Alor Gajah City Council, Seberang Perai City Council, Ampang Jaya Municipal Council, Kuala Pilah District Council, Kuala Lumpur City Hall, Malaysian Sustainable Energy Development Authority, and the private sector. Activities included capacity-building workshops, a city-to-city peer exchange, and a multi-level governance dialogue. 

The RENEW-SEA capacity building workshop in Melaka, Malaysia.

The first workshop focused on context-setting, discussing local RE and EE best practices, and short trainings on RE and EE, emphasizing the roles cities can play in shaping clean energy transitions. The situationer session tackled Melaka’s alignment with the national energy goals, current renewable energy initiatives within the state, and the challenges encountered in its transition to renewable energy. Speakers from Penang Island, Seberang Perai, and Kuala Lumpur also shared best practices in implementing local RE policies, including embedding RE and EE into building policies and energy frameworks; solarization and EE-transformation of public infrastructure; and integrating RE with electric vehicle infrastructure. Meanwhile, the RE and EE trainings introduced participants to fundamental RE and EE knowledge for local governments, and project financing mechanisms, including national support schemes and potential public-private partnership structures.   

The RENEW-SEA multi-level governance dialogue in Melaka, Malaysia.

The second workshop focused on facilitating dialogue between national, local, and private representatives to discuss how efforts can be aligned towards a more efficient uptake of RE and EE measures; opportunities for better engaging communities and other stakeholders in the transition; and areas for policy improvement.  

As with Thailand, ICLEI Southeast Asia also conducted an online workshop on strategic planning for RE and EE projects on 19 June 2025, this time in the Malaysian context. 

Renewing the local energy transition 

Earlier this March, ICLEI Indonesia also held an online capacity building workshop on RE and EE technologies for local governments within the country. Over 70 local government participants from more than 15 cities and regencies across Indonesia attended the virtual event. ICLEI Indonesia held another online capacity building workshop at the start of June, with 40 attendees gathering to learn about the regulations on RE and EE at the national and regional levels.  

Through the RENEW-SEA project, ICLEI aims to empower subnational governments and communities in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand to take action on renewable energy and energy efficiency in their territories by increasing ambition and abilities to scale up deployment. It aims to do so by working with local and regional governments to expand capacities, fostering knowledge exchange and greater awareness, facilitating multi-level collaboration. 

The RENEW-SEA project was launched online on September 2024, with Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia; Hang Tuah Jaya, Malaysia; and Chiang Mai Municipality, Thailand serving as the deep-dive cities. 

Later on, local government representatives from across the three countries also participated in a virtual serious games workshop which sought to gamify collaboration and dialogue regarding RE technologies. 

Select RENEW SEA knowledge products are currently available for public access. A Community of Practice has also been set up on LinkedIn where all interested stakeholders can join to broaden their professional RE and EE network, discuss RE and EE solutions in their contexts, and gain first access to upcoming RENEW SEA activities, knowledge products, and opportunities.