Renewable energy investors eyeing Asia beyond China, India

Global renewable energy investors are increasingly looking to Southeast and South Asia, lured by investment incentives rolled out by governments in the region amid a bleak outlook for clean energy investment in Europe and the United States. China and India remain the major destinations in Asia for renewable energy investors, but there are signs of emerging investment interest in smaller Asian countries, from Thailand to Pakistan and Malaysia to Vietnam.
Governments in Southeast and South Asia are refining targets for renewable energy expansion, extending subsidies and dangling tax breaks at a time when developed markets, particularly Europe and the United States, are rolling back subsidies. "We see an unprecedented number of companies, even those that previously weren't interested in the region, entering Thailand and Malaysia, seeking investment opportunities in clean energy," said Edgare Kerkwijk, managing director at Singapore-based investment firm Asia Green Capital.
In spite of challenges long associated with investment in Southeast and South Asia, including regulatory uncertainties and underdeveloped infrastructure, renewable projects in some countries have attracted substantial investment from US and European companies and even international funds.