The necessary global transformations that need to take place for the world to successfully pivot to a more energy efficient future powered by renewables took centre stage at the SIEW Opening Remarks and Keynote. Correspondent Jason Lee shares key highlights from the session.
Singapore’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr. Chan Chun Sing, shared his vision of Singapore’s new energy story, which will feature the “4 Switches,” an improvement in energy efficiency and the power of co-creation to build a sustainable energy future for Singapore.
Singapore will use the “4 Switches” of Natural Gas, Solar Power, Regional Power Grids and Low-Carbon Alternatives to make its energy supply more affordable, reliable and sustainable, said Minister Chan in his opening remarks today at Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) 2019.
Besides the adoption of more advanced and efficient gas turbines for power generation, Singapore has set itself a new solar target of at least 2 gigawatt peak (GWp) by 2030, and an energy storage deployment target of 200 MW beyond 2025. Minister Chan shared that the government will continue to partner with industry and researchers to scale up the adoption of solar power, and that it aims to deploy solar panels on innovative spaces such as the walls and windows of high-rise buildings, commonly referred to as HDBs.
Singapore will also work with regional partners to explore ways to tap into regional power grids to access energy that is clean and cost-competitive, as well as look into emerging low-carbon solutions that have the potential to help reduce Singapore’s carbon footprint. These can include carbon capture, utilisation of storage technologies and hydrogen.
To complement the “4 Switches,” Minister Chan highlighted the importance of managing Singapore’s energy demand with smart infrastructure planning on both the macro and micro levels. He cited the use of centralised district cooling and the co-location of infrastructure as some ways that the country could improve its energy efficiency.
In closing, Minister Chan urged the workforce, researchers, industry players and individuals to work together with the government to co-create innovative solutions to Singapore’s energy challenges, and leave behind a cleaner, more reliable and more affordable energy supply for future generations.
As Singapore moves towards a more sustainable energy future, the world is also accelerating their energy transformation. Mr. Francesco La Camera, Director General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and Mr. Cedrik Neike, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO of Smart Infrastructure, Siemens AG, shared their thoughts about the global transition towards renewables.
Globally, the business case for renewable energy continues to strengthen, and the adoption of renewables is benefitting countries and regions around the world. Instead of slowing their economies down, it is clear that renewables are in fact improving economic growth and creating more jobs, said Mr. La Camera. By 2050, half of the global jobs in renewables – 26.8 million – are expected to be in Asia, and jobs in renewables will more than triple compared to today. This business case for economies, together with strong political will and enabling policies, will fundamentally change the way we think, plan and operate our energy systems.
At the operational level, companies can do more to facilitate this transition towards renewables. While the industry has already started its shift towards more sustainable use of energy, everyone has to change the fundamental way resources are used. Using a strategy of decarbonisation, decentralisation and digitalisation, Siemens is pushing for greater electrification of the energy sector and is actively delivering cleaner generation technologies to their customers to create a green energy supply. “We had a good start, but we have to do more together. Asia will be key, and the urban areas will be where the battles are,” shared Mr. Neike in his call for action.