Breaking the gridlock: modernizing grid planning and operations to power the energy transition

Trainee, Full-time · Bangkok

Background & Purpose

Traditionally, power systems have been designed around a paradigm of large, dispatchable, and centralized power generation with one-way energy flow to demand centers via the grid. The large-scale deployment of renewable energy, notably solar and wind, shifts the paradigm to a system of modular, variable, and decentralized power generation with bidirectional flows. As the share of variable renewables in generation increases, power grid operations and planning must evolve to deal with new challenges and leverage new opportunities - otherwise power grids risk becoming bottlenecks of the energy transition. Informed experts will play a crucial role in tackling and accelerating this shift in the coming years.
Agora Energiewende will host a 3-day training workshop focused on sharing Agora’s expertise on grids and renewable integration for Asia’s energy transitions. The introductory training programme is designed to grow participant’s ability to shift narratives in public discourses around power system reliability and the role of power grids (transmission and distribution) and grid-supporting technologies like storage in transforming energy systems. The training will lay out what is needed for grids and power systems to drive the energy transition forward in a way that can be more affordable and more reliable than today and empower participants to actively shape policy debates.
For the energy transition to be successful, policy makers, businesses and wider society need to be well-informed of the opportunities and challenges facing the transformation of their energy and power systems. As an evidence-based think-tank, Agora focuses on providing expert analyses that can accurately describe the various elements of the energy system (technical, economic, regulatory, political) and illustrate how they must change to realise ambitious climate targets.

Training Objectives & Methods

On completion of the 3-day training, participants will be able to:

explain the integration challenges linked to the large-scale deployment of variable renewable energy into the power grid,
identify gaps between government plans and those of other actors in updating their power system operations and planning practices to meet the requirements of the energy transition, and
devise strategies and priority actions to close these gaps.

The training programme is designed to be a mixture between theoretical lectures, hands-on exercises, group work and inclusive discussions. We strive to create a healthy and safe, informal learning environment, where collaboration is encouraged and where mistakes are celebrated as part of the learning process. Best practices indicate that people learn a lot with and from each other too!

Your profile

The training programme is open to applicants currently employed by or affiliated with a think-tank, non-governmental or civil society organisation working on energy transitions in the following geographies: ASEAN + Pakistan, Bangladesh, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China. The training is targeted towards early-to-mid career professionals who work on renewable energy or energy transitions, and are looking to build new knowledge and capacities relating to grids and system integration of renewable energy.
As we seek to improve participant’s knowledge and skills to expand their institution’s energy transition advocacy, we ask that participants:

work on power systems, renewables or grid related topics as part of their job, or plan to soon;
have a foundational knowledge of energy and power systems; and
are planning to develop future activities (e.g. policy, advocacy or campaigns) relating to grids as a potential blocker or enabler for your country’s energy transition.

Location & Cost

Location and training dates
The 3-day training programme will take place in Bangkok, Thailand. The precise venue will be announced later. The training will be held on two occasions in June, limited to 20 participants per cohort:

17-19 June 2025
24-26 June 2025

*Applicants can only participate during one of the two time frames listed above.*

Costs
Participation in the training is free of charge. Participants will receive:

Access to the 3 days training with no fee
3-4 nights’ accommodation
Breakfast and lunches during the trainings

Participants will be expected to cover on their own:

International travel to Bangkok and all local transport
Dinners
Visa costs (an invitation letter can be shared upon request)
Any incidental expenses outside of the trainings.

Application

How to apply – Deadline: 28 February 2025
We ask interested participants to submit their current CV and a short (max 600 words) letter of motivation. In the letter of motivation, we ask that you:

introduce yourself, your institution, and how your work addresses the role of renewables, including if you are (or plan to) address grid related challenges.
describe some of the challenges you currently face when engaging with power system operations and planning (e.g., interpreting policies and reports, communicating with stakeholders, advocating for wind and solar deployment, etc…),
describe your vision for how the knowledge and skills you expect to gain in this training could feed into your institution’s current or future activities.
indicate your preferred training dates.

For any questions, please contact: info@agora-training.org

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About us

Informed specialists play a crucial role in tackling global climate issues and shaping the energy systems of tomorrow. Although energy policy primarily falls within the realm of national policy, national energy transformations share several commonalities, including international climate obligations, low-carbon technologies, traded energy resources, effective regulatory principles, and market structure.
To foster international expertise and knowledge transfer as well as strengthen the policy, communications, and technical skills of energy transition professionals around the globe, Agora Energiewende offers a range of training formats in both in-person and virtual settings. The training programmes, developed by Agora experts in cooperation with our partners, are particularly aimed at energy transition policy experts employed by or affiliated with think tanks or other non-governmental organisations. Experts from civil society organisations and/or academic bodies researching energy policy or other relevant fields fall into the wider target group.

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Your application!

We appreciate your interest in our trainings. Please fill in the following short form. Should you have any difficulties in uploading your files, please contact us by mail at info@agora-training.org.