It’s too soon to predict a bright future for solar power [News]

By Tilak K. Doshi, For The Straits Times, 14 Sep 2011.

Renewable energy technologies have been receiving much attention in policy circles and the mass media.

High fossil-fuel prices and concerns over global climate change have motivated interest among policymakers and ordinary citizens.

Proponents of renewable energy advocate government support for non-fossil- fuel-based electricity generation.

Won over by promises of energy security and the creation of ‘green’ jobs, many governments have legislated subsidies or other forms of policy support such as feed-in-tariffs (FITs) to compensate producers of renewable energy with guaranteed higher rates. Read more

What drives electric vehicles here? [News]

By Chua Wen Hao and Jonathan Chan, The Business Times, 9 Sep 2011.

Global crude oil prices have risen to record highs over recent months and petrol prices have risen in tandem. Factor in growing concerns over global warming and issues of energy security, and the stage appears set for the electric vehicle (EV) to appear in Singapore.

The benefits of adopting EVs are significant. Maintenance and operating costs of EVs can fall to a third of those of their conventional counterparts, leading to cost savings for customers. On the environmental front, EVs themselves produce no tailpipe emissions, but the gencos (power generation companies) that produce electricity do. Singapore largely relies on natural gas to generate electricity, which is significantly cleaner than gasoline or diesel which are used in conventional vehicles. Read more

Policy Responses to Climate Change and Energy Security Post-Cancun: Implications for the Asia-Pacific Region’s Energy Security [Events]

Date: Friday, 18 March 2011

Time: 9:00am to 6:00pm

Venue: Ballroom 3, Orchard Hotel Singapore, 442 Orchard Road, Singapore 238879

About the conference:

The Energy Studies Institute (ESI) at the National University of Singapore is organising a conference on “Policy Responses to Climate Change and Energy Security Post-Cancun: Implications for the Asia-Pacific Region’s Energy Security”. This conference is a sequel to the conference held in July 2010, which examined policy responses post-Copenhagen.

Following the disappointing outcome of COP15 in 2009, many observers were not particularly sanguine about the results of COP16. However, it seems that some small positive steps were made at the latest gathering in Cancun and all the concerned parties, particularly governments, must continue to play their part in monitoring and lowering their greenhouse gas emissions while pursuing their energy security objectives.

The post-Cancun conference will involve participants from various companies, government offices and academic institutions and will specifically focus on the world’s largest energy consumer, the Asia-Pacific Region. There will be presentations from Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Singapore.

To register, please send your name, organization and email address via the ESI website. For enquiries, please contact Ms. Jan Lui at 65162000.

Source: ESI

Reply Email by ESI on Fred Singer’s Article

This is the reply to our earlier email:

Dear Mr Tay,

Thank you for your interest in ESI’s work and for sending us this email.

One of ESI’s values, as indicated on our website (http://www.esi.nus.edu.sg/portal/AboutUs/VisionMissionandValues/tabid/168/Default.aspx) is:

“We are objective – ESI will cut through biases and attempt to balance the wide spectrum of views.”

The website also states:

“The global energy landscape is one that is changing rapidly. The threat of a worldwide depletion of fossil fuels, the impact of climate change, and the growing importance of geopolitics on energy supplies have led to an urgent call for new energy policies and interventions.

Against this backdrop, the Energy Studies Institute (ESI) seeks to advance the understanding of local, regional and global energy issues through independent research and analyses aimed at addressing, informing and influencing public opinion and policies.”

Fred Singer’s piece in the latest ESI Bulletin was among other pieces on the Economics of Climate Change, Climate Change and Civil Aviation and China’s Climate Change Policy. The four pieces together represented various perspectives and approaches to the subject of climate change.

To be objective, we at ESI must consider all points of view. We cannot ignore the fact that there are large numbers of highly trained people in the world who believe that climate change and global warming are NOT happening.

Also note this statement on the back of each issue of the Bulletin: “The views expressed in each issue are solely those of the individual contributors.”

Hope this helps!

Elspeth Thomson

Email to the Energy Studies Institute on Fred Singer’s Article

Dear Ms Jan Lui

I have always enjoyed the good quality energy insights and views from ESI’s events and publications.

However, in the March issue of the ESI Bulletin, I was surprised to find an article on “Global Warming: Man-Made or Natural?” by S. Fred Singer, which debunks man-made global warming and includes statements such as: “human activities are not influencing the global climate in a perceptible way”; “increases in the CO2 level caused by man are insignificant to climate change”; and “imaginary problem of man-made global warming”.

I would like to understand whether ESI hold the same views as Fred Singer and the motive behind publishing the article. Thank you.

Regards
Eugene Tay
Editor, Low Carbon Singapore

http://www.lowcarbonsg.com

This is ESI’s reply.

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