More than 110 Student Teams Contribute Ideas for a More Sustainable Energy Future

            From transparent solar panels to using artificial intelligence to manage energy demand – these were among the exciting and innovative energy solutions presented by over 110 student teams from 36 schools for the Singapore Energy Grand Challenge (SEGC) for Youth this year. This is the highest number of students the Challenge has engaged since it was first launched in 2020. Winning teams received their awards from Ms Low Yen Ling, Minister of State for the Ministry of Trade and Industry & Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth at the Energy Market Authority (EMA)’s flagship Youth@SIEW event today.

2.         The third edition of the SEGC (Youth) this year was held in partnership with Microsoft Singapore with support from Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), to inspire and encourage youths to co-create ideas using Minecraft: Education Edition. This year, EMA partnered Keppel Infrastructure, Schneider Electric and Sembcorp Industries and presented a new category for Institutes of Higher Learning (IHL). Students in this category were challenged to do a case presentation of sustainable solutions that addressed real-world challenges faced by energy companies today. More information on the company-specific problem statements can be found in Annex A.

3.       Winning teams across the three categories of IHL, Senior and Junior students were awarded a total of $50,000 in cash prizes:
a) The IHL Category comprising students from local institutes of technical education, polytechnics and autonomous universities:
Keppel Infrastructure
• Champion: Team Rocket from National University of Singapore (NUS)
• 1st runner-up: Team Blues from ITE College West
Schneider Electric
• Champion: Team Young Inventors from Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)
• 1st runner-up: The Renaissance Men from Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
Sembcorp Industries
• Champion: Team Solar from ITE College East
• 1st runner-up: Team Kit from Singapore Polytechnic
b) The Senior Category comprising upper secondary and junior college students:
• Champion: Team WACUUMERS from Hwa Chong Institution
• 1st runner-up: Team H2 from Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)
• 2nd runner-up: Team SusTech from Dunman High School
c) The Junior Category comprising lower secondary students:
• Champion: Team SUStain from Nanyang Girls’ High School
• 1st runner-up: Team Soyingleryl from Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)
• 2nd runner-up: Team Fantastic 4 from Holy Innocents' High School

4.       EMA’s Chief Executive, Mr Ngiam Shih Chun, said: “As we move towards a more sustainable future for Singapore’s energy sector, our youth play an important role as next generation leaders to spark brighter ideas and co-create viable solutions for the energy sector. I extend my heartiest congratulations to the winning teams of the Singapore Energy Grand Challenge and hope that this has spurred their interest to continue helping Singapore achieve its net-zero climate ambitions.”

5.       Teams from National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and ITE College East emerged as champions of the IHL category for their holistic presentations on solutions to reduce energy demand, enhance power grid reliability and maximise solar deployment respectively. Finalist teams received direct mentorship with the energy companies which sharpened their proposals and improved the feasibility of their ideas in Singapore’s context. Following the award, EMA will continue to facilitate discussions between students and industry on potential energy solutions to be deployed.

6.       For the Senior category, a team from Hwa Chong Institution clinched the championship with its engaging presentation which demonstrated a comprehensive approach towards managing energy demand and supply. Its ideas included the use of Internet-of-Things (IoT) technology to analyse energy usage trends and help to manage energy demand. For the Junior category, a team from Nanyang Girls’ High School was crowned the champion for its innovative ideas such as the use of hydrogen, a low-carbon energy source, and electrified transportation to further lower Singapore’s carbon emissions. Both teams also received votes from members of the public for their submissions which best represent their vision of a more sustainable energy for Singapore. More details on the winning teams can be found in Annexes B and C.

7.       Since the SEGC (Youth) was first launched in 2020, more than 1,000 students in over 290 teams, have taken part in the annual challenge. More information on the next edition of the SEGC (Youth) will be shared in the first half of 2023.

Annex A: Factsheet on SEGC (Youth) 2022

Annex B: Information on Winning Teams of SEGC (Youth) 2022 for IHL category

Annex C: Information on Minecraft: Education Edition and Winning Teams of SEGC (Youth) 2022 for Senior and Junior categories

About the Energy Market Authority

The Energy Market Authority (EMA) is a statutory board under the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry. Through our work, we seek to forge a progressive energy landscape for sustained growth. We aim to ensure a reliable and secure energy supply, promote effective competition in the energy market and develop a dynamic energy sector in Singapore. Visit www.ema.gov.sg for more information.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Mr Dion Lim
FINN Partners
Tel: 6779 5514
Email: SIEWMedia@finnpartners.com

Ms Cara Ng
Assistant Manager, Corporate Communications
Energy Market Authority
Tel: 6376 7476
Email: Cara_NG@ema.gov.sg

ANNEX A: FACTSHEET ON SINGAPORE ENERGY GRAND CHALLENGE (YOUTH) 2022

Institutes of Higher Learning (IHL) Category

Junior/Senior categories

ANNEX B: INFORMATION ON WINNING TEAMS OF SEGC (YOUTH) 2022 FOR INSTITUTES OF HIGHER LEARNING (IHL) CATEGORY

For Keppel Infrastructure’s Problem Statement

Team Information	Quotes
Champion: Team Rocket National University of Singapore (NUS) Members (from left to right): Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering, NUS, Year 4 Students: Low Guan Lin, Age 24 Chen Zhen Yuan, Age 25	“The sky may be the limit, but Team Rocket is here to take you to the moon! Solving real world problems as students and interacting with some of the energy sector’s industry players have been truly enlightening. The competition has provided an interesting and enjoyable experience that the team will definitely look back on with fondness as a valuable learning opportunity.”
1st Runner-up: Team Blues ITE College West Members (from left to right): Nitec in Mechatronics and Robotics, Year 1 Students: Isaiah Ives Goh Jun Yang, Age 17 RenuDeve Veer D/O Sunthara Velu Chelliah, Age 17 Nur Nabilah Binte Muhamad Solihin, Age 17	“Our SEGC experience has been a great learning journey and we are elated with the opportunity to develop our ideas through this challenge. We learned different ways in which we can lower energy consumption; for example, through the use of thermal energy storage, and the utilisation of digital technologies such as the Internet-of- Things and Artificial Intelligence to monitor, control and optimise cooling systems remotely. We greatly appreciate this rare learning opportunity from EMA and Keppel Infrastructure and would like to thank our lecturers from ITE and mentor from Keppel infrastructure for their guidance and support.”

For Schneider Electric’s Problem Statement

Team Information	Quotes
Champion: Team Young Inventors Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) Members (from left to right): Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Power Engineering, Year 2 Students: Chiam Sheng Jye, Age 23 Tan Kee Yee, Age 22 Tan Hao Jun Bryan, Age 23 Teo Rui Jie Marcus, Age 24	“With an applied interest towards Electric Vehicles (EV) and existing renewable problems faced by the industry, we entered this competition in hope that our concept of a solar car cover device will be able to maximise the use of clean energy towards EV charging. The entire competition experience has been eye-opening and enriching. We gained a better understanding of the ecosystem in EV charging whilst evaluating the efficacy of our existing solutions and the recommended improvements. We are immensely grateful for the opportunity and the platform to showcase our ideas and concepts!”
1stRunner-up: The Renaissance Men Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Members (from left to right): Bachelor of Engineering Science (Electrical & Electronic), Renaissance Engineering Programme: Nick Erwin Chia Zhiyang, Age 23, Year 3 Julian Chung Zhong Wei, Age 24, Year 4 Sng Li Wen, Aaron, Age 25, Year 4 Bachelor of Engineering Science (Computer Science), Renaissance Engineering Programme Summit Bajaj, Age 22, Year 2	“One thing that excited us the most is the realism of the competition. We were placed directly in the shoes of a leading energy company and had to account for carbon emissions, grid reliability, as well as ensure business viability. We think that the competition experience has been fruitful. Not only did we learn about the integration of Electric Vehicles and the grid, but we also got industry mentorship from the professionals at Schneider Electric, which provided us with invaluable knowledge and skills to refine our solutions.”

For Sembcorp Industries’ Problem Statement

Team Information	Quotes
Champion: Team Solar ITE College East Members (from left to right): Higher Nitec in Electrical Engineering, Year 1 Students: Wang Zixuan, Age 17 Eugene Tan Ye Hong, Age 17 Ng Mian Hao, Age 17 Xavien Teo Yi Xiang, Age 17	“It was never about how far-fetched a goal is but about the people’s willingness to work together to reach true success. We never thought that we would make it this far into the competition. Even when we faced challenges and obstacles, our team overcame it with coming up with diverse ways to overcome a problem creatively. This competition has taught us more about Singapore’s energy sector, which we would have otherwise not known.”
1stRunner-up: Team Kit Singapore Polytechnic Members (from left to right): Diploma in Chemical Engineering, Year 3 Students: Yu Nander Aung, Age 20 Tanapattanalux Kittitat, Age 21 Steward Soh Jun Kai, Age 19 Lau Jun Foong Wayne, Age 19	“We are extremely delighted and grateful for this opportunity. Through this competition, we were challenged to think out of the box to solve an existing problem to design a more sustainable energy future in Singapore. Despite having to balance our study commitment in our final year in Singapore Polytechnic, the team enjoyed the design, build and test phases as we had fun seeing our ideas turn into reality. We hope that our young generation will be inspired to turn their ideas into reality especially in the field of sustainability, because that is what matters for Singapore.”

Photos of SEGC (Youth) - IHL category students at mentorship sessions

Team Young Inventors from the Singapore Institute of Technology with their mentors from Schneider Electric

Team Kit from Singapore Polytechnic at a virtual mentorship session with Sembcorp Industries

Team Blues from ITE College West presenting their proposal for Keppel Infrastructure at the semi-finals

ANNEX C: INFORMATION ON MINECRAFT: EDUCATION EDITION AND WINNING TEAMS OF SEGC (YOUTH) 2022 FOR SENIOR AND JUNIOR CATEGORIES

The Energy Market Authority (EMA) organises the annual SEGC (Youth) to excite, inspire and encourage youths to co-create ideas for Singapore’s energy sector. As part of EMA’s partnership with Microsoft Singapore, students are able to leverage on the Minecraft: Education Edition (M:EE) platform to build and showcase their vision for a more sustainable Singapore in 2050, while learning about Singapore’s energy transition to overcome its challenges.

M:EE is designed for educational settings with teachers around the world. M:EE offers immersive game-based learning through remote and onsite classroom-friendly features, immersive multi-player environments, as well as lessons, build challenges and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum.

Senior Category

 

Team Information	Quotes
Champion: Team WACUUMERS Hwa Chong Institution Members (from left to right): Koh Rui Quan Reyes, Kavan Tay Yiquan, Zachary Phua Yu Tze Click here to view the team’s video entry	“What drew us into this competition and kept us going was the opportunity to translate our bold plans to reshape Singapore's energy future into an almost life-like prototype. It was simultaneously a test of our design skills and our understanding of sustainability, Singapore's energy trilemma, and our unique constraints. Apart from the Minecraft construction skills we acquired, we were enlightened on Singapore’s energy trilemma and many of the considerations that have been made in managing our energy demand and supply, both of which need to work in tandem to ensure that our energy is used sustainably. We were also intrigued by the technological developments in alternative energy sources. In short, energy keeps our lives going and sustainability keeps our energy going.”
1stRunner-up: Team H2 Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) Members (from left to right): Lu Xingyu, Vera Ang Rui Wen Click here to view the team’s video entry	“Through this challenge, we learnt how Singapore can lower our carbon emissions for the future and how we could develop ideas to achieve the Singapore Green Plan 2030. To gather different perspectives, we role played Singaporeans from different backgrounds to understand more about all of our needs and how we can meet them sustainably. Every one of us can play a part in helping to reduce carbon emissions. Singapore may have had significant obstacles in developing sustainable energy decades ago due to limited resources and territory. However, it has overcome its challenges and tapped into possibilities for cleaner energy growth in areas such as solar energy, natural gas, and low-carbon alternatives through resilience and innovation.”
2ndRunner-up: Team SusTech Dunman High School Members (from left to right): Pan Xinyi, Pan Leyi, Jin Chenxuan, Shen Hanzhang Click here to view the team’s video entry	“Singapore Energy Grand Challenge was a memorable experience for us. Harnessing the 4 Switches, we had the opportunity to unleash the power of creativity by building a more sustainable Singapore in Minecraft: Education Edition, covering a variety of energy demands from households, businesses and agriculture. It was great fun to spend the whole afternoon designing our constructions with a plethora of building materials from Minecraft, and the sense of achievement upon completion was really unforgettable. In this journey, we realised the importance of leveraging different types of energy production to ensure energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and there is a long road ahead for us to improve.”

Junior Category

 

Team Information	Quotes
Champion: Team SUStain Nanyang Girls’ High School Members (from left to right): Tan Hong Yu, Sophie Tung Xuan Ying Click here to view the team’s video entry	“It was super exciting to be able to use Minecraft to make our ideas more tangible and be able to see what they would look like when applied in a Singaporean context. We learnt a lot in our research and from the judges during the presentation. It made us want to explore future concepts of sustainability further. We learnt a lot more about the energy trilemma involved when trying to transit to a clean energy society and that in certain situations, trade offs will have to be made. In addition, we understood how technological advancements work hand in hand with helping to transition to a carbon emission net-zero society. One enjoyable moment we experienced as a team was building the Minecraft world together. Although our schedules were busy and it was tiring staying up late to build, we had great fun exploring new and creative ways to express our ideas together in a virtual world. Seeing our ideas take shape in Minecraft after many hours of work was satisfying and memorable for us.”
1stRunner-up: Team Soyingleryl Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) Members (from left to right): Chai Chang Xuan Cheryl, Quek Zhi Ying, Sophie Sim, Eou Yong Le Jia Click here to view the team’s video entry	“One thing that excited us the most about this competition was having the opportunity to learn new skills on Minecraft: Education Edition. This helped us to showcase our knowledge about Singapore’s energy story in a fun way. Even though there were many rounds of discussions and we had to put aside a lot of time outside of school, the competition allowed us to showcase our ideas and do our part to ensure a more sustainable future for Singapore. It also strengthened the bond between our team members. We also gained a lot of new knowledge about topics we would not have visited in our daily lives. Hence, it was a meaningful and enjoyable experience.”
2ndRunner-up: Team Fantastic 4 Holy Innocents' High School Members (from left to right): Brandon Chan Kai Feng, Brandon Geofrey Lee Weng Zun, Lee Yu Wen Reanne, Hoi Hui Wen Faith Click here to view the team’s video entry	““Science is the process that takes us from confusion to understanding.” - Brian Greene At first, we were confused as to how our ideas work but after much research, we finally understood how they operate scientifically and how it would help Singapore be a carbon-free city. One thing that excited us about this competition was being able to use Minecraft, a game that we all love, to build our ideas. Not only did it make this competition fun, but it also made it creative as we can build anything in Minecraft. Through this competition, we learnt the importance and ways of reducing our carbon footprint. We also learnt how electricity is supplied to Singapore and the pros and cons of each energy source. We hope that these creative and innovative ideas to reduce Singapore’s carbon footprint may be applied to Singapore one day.”