Use of alternative energy is expected and necessary. Recent fuel hikes have caused widespread protests in Malaysia and Indonesia. Expensive oil is also exacerbating the economic crisis in the region, which is still burdened by rising food prices.

Lifestyles are changing since people are now more aware about the oil price crisis. Tree Maple reports that a green complex will soon rise in Singapore. The eco-complex will make good use of alternative energy sources. Tumelor writes about the plan of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to use wind turbines for the electricity requirement of public park lights.

The largest company of consumer products of Thailand has announced its plan to reduce oil consumption by 1 percent this year, using solar energy. Rambling Librarian hopes some day solar energy (through energy-efficient batteries) will power some of the household appliances.

Asiabiofuels’s Weblog notes that state-owned plantation firms have jointly set up a consortium for the construction of a biodiesel plant in Indonesia. While opposition to the use of biofuels is growing in the world, blogger The Poisoned is supporting it. In a related issue, Orangutan Outreach points out that the palm oil industry in Indonesia is causing of local conflicts, displacement, homelessness and morbidity.

Geothermal energy has a lot of potential in the region, especially in the Philippines and Indonesia. A study explains that “both countries are in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area peppered with volcanoes and home to the world’s biggest reservoir of geothermal power.”

The Asia Tomorrow warns of possible obstacles in promoting geothermal energy:

“Some obstacles are affecting other potential new projects in any location. A fairly extensive amount of drilling is involved to drill deep enough in the earth to reach hot water or steam so that turbines can be powered. Furthermore, the legal formalities needed to organize and carry out these projects is also hindering progress. Active volcanoes are associated with high acidity, as thus cause the corrosion of pipes involved in geothermal power projects.”

But the writer insists geothermal plants are less expensive to operate:

“Although drilling and plant construction, not to mention exploration, costs are high in comparison to other alternatives, the maintenance and operation costs of a geothermal plant are significantly lower in comparison. Typically it takes 7 to 8 years for a geothermal project to go from an exploration to production stage. Road costs to remote areas are also a factor. Carbon credit eligibility would make investments in these projects more likely, as well as help with some of the initial project cost.”

Use of nuclear energy is now being considered by Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. A regional cooperation on nuclear safety issue was recently initiated by these countries with China, South Korea, and Japan. But nomad4ever opposes the building of nuclear plants in Indonesia:

“Due to its growing economy, there is demand for an additional 5.000 megawatts of electricity, building nuclear plants is said to make the country less dependent on fossils like oil or coal, while providing the necessary power at ease. The question is: why build nuclear reactors in an area plastered with volcanoes and prone to earthquakes, flooding and tsunamis? Aren’t there any alternatives? Geothermal Energy can be a valid green alternative, which could help satisfy Indonesia’s rising energy demands and boosting its reputation for Global Warming topics beyond the ‘warm words’ of the Bali Climate Conference.”

Bellamy Budiman also opposes the construction of nuclear plants, for another reason. Instead, the blogger is promoting wind power.

“If the government is really that concerned about the energy crisis, they should take approximate steps to develop greener energy. Take wind power for example, we have plenty of wind down here. If the government put some effort to install residential-grade turbines on every few blocks or so in the city, I’m sure some of that power consumption need could be taken care of.

“The idea of building a nuclear power plant. Well this just sucks monkey balls. If our country can’t even take care of simple matters such as garbage or traffic, I don’t see why we SHOULD build a nuclear power plant. I can envision the comeback of Chernobyl, or the second coming of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Without the bombs, of course. We won’t need them as it would probably explode on its own. Even developed countries are now moving away from nuclear power plants.”

Blog of Bobby from Brunei proposes the following:

“A hopeful alternative is the use of novel methods, which are being researched but are not commercially viable. My favorites include Fusion, Cold fusion, and zero point energy. Nuclear Fusion is a huge contender, but it has yet to produce more energy than it consumes.”

Sarawak Headhunter on the potential of natural gas:

“Sarawak has a wealth of alternative energy resources such as natural gas. According to the Bintulu Development Authority, the state has a total known gas reserve of about 50 trillion standard cubic feet.”

moglie's recycled ramblings emphasizes the importance of energy conservation:

“Perhaps we should learn by now that these are not renewable energy and if we failed with our conservation then that could spell our pitfall. I’m not being overly pessimistic but we got to change our mentality that easy oil is thing of the past. We’re already struggling with secondary oil/gas extractions and our next best source would be from deep water exploration.”

One of the earlier proposals was to create an OPEC-style group or a rice cartel in the region: Organization of Rice Exporting Countries or OREC. This idea has been dropped already. The Philippine government was alarmed over this plan. Filipino blogger, Philippines Without Borders, explains why the plan is counterproductive:

“Those countries on the Mekong like Thailand and Vietnam just cannot store rice forever. Unlike oil, rice deteriorates in just a few months of storage in the warehouse. And the Thais and the Vietnamese could eat only so much rice. In fact, forming Orec is counterproductive for these rice exporters. When they hoard their own rice, local prices decline, thus hurting their own farmers. If they want to benefit from the current situation, it’s in their best interest to sell rice and not hoard it.”

Many are still worried over the economic impact of the strong cyclone which hit Myanmar early this month. Rice prices had quadrupled inside Myanmar and hunger is expected to worsen. Golden Colour Revolution writes:

“The Irrawaddy division is agriculturally the most essential division for Burmese people and it produced one third of the rice production for 57 millions people. After the typhoon Nagris, the whole delta area’s rice production lands are flooded with salt water. Farmers can’t grow rice on salted land and there are no farmers left to produce rice for the country and the most important agricultural sector of the country has been destroyed. In the beginning of every June of the year, Burmese farmers usually prepare to grow their paddy plants in the farming area of the country to feed 57 million mouths. But this year, the rice production will drastically decline because of the typhoon.”

Governments are advising their constituents to reduce consumption of rice. A Malaysian blogger responds by insisting that anti-corruption efforts should be the focus of politicians:

“Now, we are facing food crisis we were told eat less rice. Fine, we can go for bread, however the price of flour also hiked. The price of noodle also hiked. What else we can eat? When the price of petrol hiked, we were told to change our live style. What else? Should we sit down and think, where the tax money goes? Should it be spent like this? Please, work hard on anti-corruption. My heart is heavy now, really heavy. I can imagine how hard my family members struggling for living. What should we do? Sit down and wait? Please, wake up. Work hard on anti-corruption.”

The Daily Brunei Resources reviews the food self-sufficiency plan of Brunei. Cafe Salemba proposes an overhaul of Indonesia’s agricultural policies:

“So when we come up using public resources to develop the agriculture revitalization program, are we speaking the same language for large scale commercial agriculture? Are we ready to give up the idyllic view of a small plot land owner peasantry for a large scale industry and see a transformation from myriad small peasant landowners class to become waged farmers working in a handful large scale agroindustrial companies?”

Youthful Insight enumerates the measures which can benefit Indonesian farmers:

“Indonesia’s agricultural industry is rife with asymmetric information. Rice distributors, wholesalers, and exporters, usually city folk with access to urban market prices and world market price data, have always seemed to have the upper hand over the rice farmers, rural folk who do not enjoy the same access to information. As a result, farmers suffer from a weaker bargaining position, causing them to undersell their rice almost every time. Government institutions need to step up and take the responsibility of insuring informational symmetry. If necessary, government officials from the Ministry of Agriculture should give farmers weekly updates on prices, as well as giving them institutionalized protection from distributors and middlemen who seek to exploit.”

Lao Voices tackles the land use problem in Laos:

“Many rice fields that covered the mountainous North of Laos are gone. They are steadily being replaced by rubber trees. The Chinese are coming to Laos and they need their rubber products for their galloping economy.”

Doing Business in Vietnam Seminar notes the quality of rice in Vietnam’s supermarkets is deteriorating:

“With rice as the main staple of nutrition in the diets of many Vietnamese families, the quality and price of rice is currently becoming a major problem for them. As prices are rising, it is becoming more and more difficult for supermarkets to provide high quality rice at a price that citizens can afford. To curb this problem, quality is decreasing rapidly so that prices can remain stable for purchasers.”

Mon Casiple hints that unscrupulous individuals are illegally profiteering from the rice problem in the Philippines:

“The price of rice is shooting through the roof. Yet, the mystery tales from the farmers are that the middlemen are not buying in extraordinary quantities in these times of an alleged demand market. The inescapable conclusion is that the same somebody or somebodies already had the supply before it happened–probably through technical smuggling or direct smuggling. They are now reaping the superprofits. These acts, particularly of government people, are simply treason.”

Bikoy, student leader from the Philippines, provides an action plan for the agricultural sector. Filipino Lawyer Marichu Lambino thinks it’s extraordinary for the Philippine president to literally sit at the preliminary investigation of alleged rice hoarders at the Department of Justice. The Explainer dissects the rising pork prices in the market. Professor Danton Remoto: How to survive as a nouveau poor in the Philippines.

The cost of fertilizer is getting more expensive in Cambodia. As a result of rising food prices, police and dog owners claim cases of dognapping are up in many parts of Cambodia. Perhaps dog meat is delicious and cheap for some Cambodians.

KI Media headline: Cambodia sees Opportunity in Rising Food Prices. Im Sokthy believes Cambodian farmers should be encouraged to venture in other small businesses to generate additional income. My Longkang thinks padi farming in Malaysia should be subsidized.

Thailand Crisis reports that the Thai government’s intervention in the rice crisis will cost 42 billion Thai Baht. The blogger is also not surprised that the consumer confidence index is down in Thailand.

Singabloodypore reports that more and more free meals are given today to help the poor residents of wealthy Singapore. A Xeno Boy in Sg adds that the queue for free food is getting longer. The number of people going to the malls is also lower this year in Singapore.