The full Call for Concepts can be accessed in ENGLISH HERE and in BAHASA INDONESIA HERE.

The RENEW-Southeast Asia project continues its work across Malaysia and Indonesia in the domain of energy-efficient public buildings. It aims to create policy momentum, develop technical capacities, and provide exchange opportunities for local and regional governments (LRGs) to act and drive the sustainable energy transition in their territories, using the resources at their disposal.

Many LRGs face persistent barriers that slow progress, from limited financial capacity to restrictive national frameworks. However, there are many success stories that deserve to be spotlighted to highlight the progress being made. The RENEW-SEA project is therefore launching the Positive Energy Buildings Challenge in order to showcase innovative LRG projects, business models, and policy approaches, in the domain of sustainable energy use in buildings. In doing so, it aims to provide a space for leading LRGs to exchange and learn from each other, while inspiring others. Due to their status as the target countries of the project, the Challenge is open to LRGs in Malaysia and Indonesia only.

Institutional eligibility: Who can apply?

The competition is open to local and regional governments in Malaysia and Indonesia. These LRGs must be the lead applicant.

To be eligible, applicants must be a legally recognized local or regional government/authority in Indonesia or Malaysia, including:

• City/municipal authorities, relevant agencies, or equivalent
• Provincial/state governments, relevant agencies, or equivalent

Project eligibility: Which projects can be submitted?

The submitted project must directly relate to renewable energy and/or energy efficiency in public buildings and spaces, in line with the PEB concept. The projects must have been implemented in a public facility or space, or in the case of public-private partnerships, feature significant public sector contributions.

Such projects may include (but are not limited to):

• Rooftop solar PV deployment in public buildings
• Battery energy storage solutions
• Energy-efficient lighting, cooling, or HVAC retrofits
• Digital solutions such as Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS)
• Innovative business and financial models enabling energy performance improvements of public buildings
• Policy or regulatory innovations that foster improved building energy performance at scale (e.g. green building policies, building codes, etc.)

We are seeking projects that are in an advanced state of implementation, having moved beyond the conceptualization and planning phases. Therefore, the project must be one that 1) has already been commissioned/constructed; or 2) has secured funding and is ready to be implemented; or 3) construction and commissioning are to be completed within the next 12 months; or 4) in the case of policies or regulation, are already in place.

Submission details

LRGs must submit the following for their application to be considered complete:

• (Required) Completed application form
• Supporting documents and information, including:
  • (Required) Letter of commitment from a senior city official
  • (Required) Technical or policy documents, as relevant, about the project. Examples of technical documents include (depending on availability and relevance):
    • Pre-feasibility assessment report
    • Feasibility study and techno-economic modelling
    • Impact assessment report
    • Detailed project report, etc.
• News articles, press releases, etc. about the project (optional)

Note: These documents will not be made publicly available and will only be used to assess the project across the evaluation criteria. 

Note: Please email the supporting documents to the email addresses mentioned below. In the subject line, please mention the name of the LRG and “supporting documents”. In case of technical difficulties, an offline form is available here.

Note: The application form must be submitted in English. However, supporting documents may be submitted in Bahasa Malay or Bahasa Indonesia if no alternatives are available; translation is not necessary.

Results and benefits of the Challenge

Only a limited number of winning projects will be chosen. Winning applicants will receive: 

• A chance for one official to participate in an all-expenses paid international study tour and peer exchange in Southeast Asia. They will have the opportunity to learn about PEB best practices and exchange with other Indonesian and Malaysian LRGs. 
• The study tour is scheduled to take place in Q2 2026.
• Promotion of their project and work across regional and global platforms, including a 1-page case study (prepared by ICLEI).
• Access to a community of practice (R-EnEx CoP) featuring experts on sustainable energy issues, allowing for collaboration and learning opportunities beyond the Competition.
• Advice and guidance for submission of other similar projects to ICLEI’s Transformative Actions Program, if requested. 

Timeline

• Call launched:29 January 2026
• Call closed:2 March 2026
• Notification of selection: Mid-March 2026
• Study tour:May 2026

Contact information

Participants may submit inquiries (or applications) to: sustainable.energy@iclei.org. 

For Indonesian LRGs, please keep selamet.daroyni@iclei.org and siti.koiromah@iclei.org in copy.

For Malaysian LRGs, please keep pamela.cabacungan@iclei.org and norazean.mohd.nor@iclei.org in copy.

The full Call for Concepts can be accessed in ENGLISH HERE and in BAHASA INDONESIA HERE.