Delaying renewable energy will make it costlier eventually [News]

By Dennis Posadas, The Business Times, 26 Nov 2011.

Recently, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released its 134-page report on the state of energy in the world. In the World Energy Outlook 2011 report, it said the growth of renewable energy is underpinned by subsidies that will rise from US$64 billion in 2010 to an estimated US$250 billion in 2035 – a lifeline that cannot be taken for granted in this time of fiscal austerity.

According to IEA chief economist Fatih Birol, ‘delaying action is a false economy. For every US$1 of investment in cleaner technology that is avoided in the power sector before 2020, an additional US$4.30 would need to be spent after 2020 to compensate for the increased emissions.’

This means that if we wait nine years more to act, costs to shift to clean energy can multiply by as much as four times what it is now.

However, the Singapore and Philippine governments do not take subsidies as a means to encourage renewable energy sources. Read more

Clean energy takes center stage this week in Singapore

Clean energy discussions and solutions for the Asian region take center stage this week in Singapore as the annual Clean Energy Expo Asia (CEEA) 2011 Trade Fair and Conference begins today till 3 Nov, and is officially launched by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore’s Minister for the Environment and Water Resources.

Jointly organised by the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) and Koelnmesse, in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), CEEA is the leading platform in Singapore that gathers clean energy industry players and government leaders from around the world together to share and discuss knowledge, issues, technologies and innovative solutions that will help shape the future of clean energy in Asia.

CEEA Trade Fair and Conference

This year’s CEEA Trade Fair hosts about 170 exhibiting companies from 26 countries, with 6 country pavilions from Canada, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and Switzerland. Exhibitors showcase clean energy solutions including solar energy, energy efficiency, biomass, biogas, biofuel, and electric vehicles.

The CEEA Conference will see over 130 international speakers share their insights on the future of energy through discussion topics on clean energy outlook, renewable energy technologies and commercialization, sustainable mobility, clean energy financing, project case studies, and energy efficiency. Read more

NTU team to harness power of nature [News]

By Grace Chua, The Straits Times, 8 Oct 2011.

SAILORS and windsurfers know the wind is stronger and faster once they are farther away from Singapore’s coast, although how much stronger and faster has never been clear.

But that should change, as the Energy Research Institute at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is now mapping the country’s wind patterns as part of a push for world-class, clean-energy research and development (R&D) here.

It has put measuring stations atop several Housing Board blocks and on offshore islands.

It is also studying the patterns of waves, tides and currents around the island.

And next year, the institute will test turbines to tap these clean-energy sources. Read more

Singapore walks away with 8 ASEAN Energy Awards [Press Releases]

A total of eight Singapore organisations have received awards at the 2011 ASEAN Energy Awards. This is the largest number bagged by Singapore since the Awards started in 2000. The Awards recognise efforts by innovative companies in ASEAN who promote and implement energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions.

The winners are:

ASEAN Energy Awards – Energy Efficiency Competition (New & Existing Category)

(i) City Square Mall (1st runner-up)
This is the first mall in Singapore to be awarded the Building & Construction Authority’s Green Mark Platinum Award, and is designed with state-of-the-art green building features. To date, the mall has achieved electricity savings of more than 30 percent compared to similar buildings. Read more

Post-Fukushima European Energy Policies: The Rationale for a Nuclear-Phase out and the Transition to Renewable Energy [Events]

Date: Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Time: 5.30 p.m. – 7.00 p.m.

Venue: 11 Slim Barracks Rise, NTU@one-north campus, Level 3, Auditorium 302, Singapore 138664

Speaker: Prof. Rolf Wuestenhagen, Good Energies Professor for Management or Renewable Energies, Director of the Institute for Economy and the Environment University of St. Gallen (Switzerland)

Synopsis: After the March 2011 nuclear accident in Fukushima, a number of European countries have revised their nuclear policies. The German government has revised a previous decision to extend the lifetime of existing nuclear power plants, and then agreed with an overwhelming majority of the federal parliament on a 10-year phase-out plan by 2022. Read more

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