ACES Opening Address: Maximising Domestic Renewable Energy and R&D Innovation

by User Not Found Oct 24, 2023, 17:20 PM

During his address at the 10^th edition of the Asia Clean Energy Summit (ACES), Dr Tan See Leng, Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry, outlined the "second and third ingredients" of Singapore's clean energy strategy. He emphasised the need to move beyond increasing electricity imports, and to harness R&D to drive innovation while maximising renewable domestic deployment of renewable energy.

Maximising domestic deployment of renewable energy

Despite Singapore’s modest size and limited alternative energy sources, Dr Tan reiterated the country's commitment to pursuing low carbon pathways. He shared that Singapore has achieved a significant milestone, surpassing 1 gigawatt-peak (GWp) of solar deployment, marking over 50 percent progress towards the country's 2GW target by 2030.

To advance these efforts, Singapore is actively testing innovative solar deployment methods. This includes the application of Building Applied Photovoltaics on public housing blocks, expanding available solar surfaces. Dr Tan highlighted research initiatives aimed at enhancing tandem solar cell efficiency. In fact, in June this year, researchers from the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore achieved a world record efficiency of 24.35 percent, bringing the country closer to its goal of high-efficiency yet cost-effective tandem solar cells.

Singapore is also exploring the potential of harnessing deep underground heat for electricity generation. To this end, the Energy Market Authority of Singapore has issued a Request for Proposal for a Singapore-wide non-invasive geophysical study. This study aims to assess geothermal energy possibilities and the feasibility of underground carbon storage.

Leveraging R&D to support innovation

Dr Tan underscored the importance of bolstering R&D to overcome domestic constraints. He introduced the Directed Hydrogen Programme, designed to facilitate safe and economically viable import and utilisation of hydrogen. This programme focuses on critical areas, including regulatory standards, ammonia cracking, and hydrogen transportation and distribution.

A*STAR is gearing up to support low Technology Readiness research through its Emerging Technology Grant Call. Dr Tan emphasised that optimising the utilisation of domestic renewable energy and implementing practical solutions would expand Singapore's choices on the path to a low carbon future.

The remaining key "ingredients" will be explored in the following SIEW Live Blog.