JTC Corporation (JTC) recently unveiled the masterplan for the CleanTech Park (CTP), Singapore’s first eco-business park for companies involved in clean technologies and sustainable urban solutions. The CTP also serves as a R&D and testbedding site for early adoption of clean tech products and solutions for the urban tropics. Besides clean tech companies, the CTP could also house companies providing eco-friendly products and services, and companies with strong CSR or green practices.

The 50-hectare CTP will be developed next to the Nanyang Technological University so as to enhance the integration between the academia, research institutes and the business industry, and provide synergies for the full value chain of the clean tech industry. The development will take place in 3 phases over 20 years. Phase 1 will commence in July 2010 and will provide about 17 ha of business park land when completed in 2018. Phase 2 will be developed from 2019 to 2025, and Phase 3 from 2026 to 2030. The CTP will house a working population of 20,000 when it is fully built by 2030.

In the masterplan, the CTP will be developed as the most sustainable eco-business park in Singapore with the implementation of green strategies and its emphasis on retaining the natural environment and biodiversity. The green strategies to be implemented in the CTP include:

1. Stormwater management

Making use of the existing topography of the site to channel stormwater into the low-lying areas for storage and reuse. The stormwater within CleanTech Park will be channelled into a central wetland where the water can be treated and be reused for irrigation or toilet flushing. The pond will also reduce the ambient temperature through evaporative cooling.

2. Sky Trellis

The sky trellis will be constructed between adjacent buildings and covered with plants. By shading open spaces between buildings, it can reduce heat gain by the buildings from the environment and enhance walkability within open spaces in the area.

3. Conservation of Green Zones

Conservation zones are demarcated areas within CTP where trees and plants are conserved. Development works are planned around these conservation zones to protect the existing trees and plants.

4. Protection of biodiversity

Keeping the existing trees in the park will help to retain the biodiversity, such as the birds and butterflies to remain within CTP.

5. Designated Green Corridors

The designated Green Corridors are green areas between the buildings and land parcels within CTP. These green corridors are strategically located to provide secondary greenery between the buildings and land parcels and are aimed at promoting enhanced walkability within the Park.

6. Building a Green Community

CTP will nurture the fist green business community and environment by way of introducing and inculcating green practices such as recycling programmes and car pooling programmes.

7. Green Features that reduce demand on resource utilization

Building orientation with minimum East-West facing facades; Creating the wind tunnel effect to maximize wind-capture within the buildings; Using recycled and green materials for infrastructure development.

Source and images credit: JTC

Singapore Green Landscape 2010 gives an overview of the various non-governmental organisations (NGOs), green groups, business associations and groups, green websites, government agencies, and institutes and centres in Singapore, which are related to the environment.

We hope that the publication is useful for everyone who wishes to find and connect with the environmental organisations in Singapore, and explore personal and business opportunities.

The publication is free for download here. Feel free to share this.

The 10 companies (listed below) are in the following industries: food and beverage, retail, financial services, telecommunications, property development and management, construction, steel and energy.

• Cerebos Pacific Limited
• Citi
• City Developments Limited
• Holcim (Singapore) Pte Ltd
• NatSteel Holdings Pte Ltd
• NTUC Fairprice Co-operative Limited
• PowerSeraya Ltd
• SembCorp Industries Limited
• Shell Group of Companies
• Singapore Telcommunications Limited

In the book, each company shares its insight on adopting CSR – the company’s motivation, process, programmes, results, impacts, challenges and opportunities during the CSR journey. The business case for CSR was mentioned by the companies and they find that CSR provides business opportunities and is critical to business success.

The book also highlights 3 key challenges and suggests what can be done for each challenge:

1. Getting Started

Companies may face a lack of understanding and knowledge on CSR, lack of interest within the organisation and by stakeholders, and also resource constraints to get started.

Some solutions:

• Form a cross-functional CSR working group with commitment and leadership from top management
• Refer to relevant national programmes and policies, and what other companies are doing in the same industry
• Define what is important to the company and stakeholders, and form clear targets and milestones
• Discuss and develop the CSR policy and strategy at the department and group levels

2. Operationalising CSR

Companies may find it difficult to translate vision and mission into CSR policies and actions throughout the company and stakeholders.

Some solutions:

• Require top management to lead, drive change and be role models
• Ensure perseverance to embed policies and practices across the organisation
• Have clear roles and responsibility and a reporting structure
• Include tools, policies and processes for stakeholders to act
• Include measures and channels to communicate and engage with stakeholders

3. Sustaining the CSR Journey

Companies may find it difficult to maintain management commitment, employee awareness and buy-in, meet the needs and expectations of diverse stakeholders, ensuring focused efforts and measuring impacts.

Some solutions:

• Emphasize the importance of ongoing engagement and sharing of info among employees and stakeholders
• Educate, involve and empower stakeholders in the CSR and sustainability journey

If your company or organisation is starting on your CSR journey, this book gives useful examples and case studies on CSR strategies, policies and practices based on the Singapore context.

To accelerate the growth of the environmental industry and to maintain Singapore’s image as a clean and green city, the government has initiated several funding and incentive schemes related to energy efficiency, clean energy, green buildings, water and environmental technologies, green transport, waste minimisation, environmental management system, environmental initiatives, clean development mechanism, and green IT.

The funding and incentive schemes are provided by government agencies such as:

• Building and Construction Authority (BCA)
• Economic Development Board (EDB)
• Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA)
• Land Transport Authority (LTA)
• National Environment Agency (NEA)
• National Parks Board (NParks)
• PUB, the national water agency (PUB)
• SPRING Singapore (SPRING)
• Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)

To help businesses understand what’s available, we have compiled a list of 30 government funding and incentives for the environment:

1. Energy Efficiency Improvement Assistance Scheme (EASe)
2. Grant for Energy Efficient Technologies (GREET)
3. Accelerated Depreciation Tax Allowance
4. Design for Efficiency Scheme (DfE)
5. SCEM Training Grant
6. Clean Energy Research and Testbedding Programme (CERT)
7. Clean Energy Research Programme (CERP)
8. Solar Capability Scheme (SCS)
9. Market Development Fund
10. Green Mark Incentive Scheme for Existing Buildings (GMIS-EB)
11. Green Mark Incentive Scheme for New Buildings (GMIS-NB)
12. Green Mark Gross Floor Area Incentive Scheme (GM-GFA)
13. MND Research Fund for the Built Environment
14. Pilot Incentive Scheme for Green Roofs
15. Gross Floor Area Incentives for Outdoor Refreshment Area on Rooftops
16. Water Efficiency Fund (WEF)
17. Fast-Track Environmental and Water Technologies Incubator Scheme (Fast-Tech)
18. Technology Pioneer (TechPioneer) Scheme
19. Incentive for Research and Innovation Scheme (IRIS)
20. Environmental Technology Capability Development Programme (EnviroTech CDP)
21. Innovation Voucher Scheme
22. Innovation for Environmental Sustainability (IES) Fund
23. Land Transport Innovation Fund (LTIF)
24. Green Vehicle Rebate (GVR)
25. 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Fund
26. Environment Technology Research Programme (ETRP)
27. Local Enterprise Technical Assistance Scheme (LETAS)
28. 3P Partnership Fund
29. Clean Development Mechanism Documentation Grant
30. Infocomm Leadership and Development Programme (iLEAD)

If we missed out any funding or incentive scheme, do let us know. Thanks!

Energy Efficiency

1. Energy Efficiency Improvement Assistance Scheme (EASe)

NEA provides a co-funding scheme called the Energy Efficiency Improvement Assistance Scheme (EASe), to help companies in the manufacturing and building sectors engage accredited Energy Services Companies (ESCOs) to conduct energy audits and recommend energy saving measures. Funding is provided up to 50% of the qualifying costs of engaging an ESCO and capped at $200,000 for a single facility or building over a five-year period.

2. Grant for Energy Efficient Technologies (GREET)

The Grant for Energy Efficient Technologies (GREET) by NEA provides funding for the Singapore-registered owner or operator of existing or proposed industrial facilities to invest in energy efficient equipment or technologies. Funding is provided up to 50% of the qualifying costs and capped at $2 million per project. Only projects with a payback of more than 3 years and up to 7 years are eligible for funding.

3. Accelerated Depreciation Tax Allowance

The Accelerated Depreciation Tax Allowance scheme by NEA encourages companies to replace old inefficient equipment and invest in energy saving equipment. The capital expenditure on the qualifying energy efficient equipment can be written off in one year instead of three.

4. Design for Efficiency Scheme (DfE)

The Design for Efficiency Scheme (DfE) by NEA aims to encourage new facilities that are large consumers of energy to integrate energy and resource efficiency improvements into their development plans early in the design stage. Funding is provided up to 80% of the qualifying costs or $600,000, whichever is lower.

5. SCEM Training Grant

The Singapore Certified Energy Manager (SCEM) Programme offers training and certification in energy management, and is for engineering professionals to develop the technical skills and competence to become the Energy Managers of their organisations. The SCEM Training Grant is a co-funding scheme by NEA to fund the training cost at the Professional Level SCEM Programme. Successful grant applicants only pay a subsidised course fee of S$963 instead of the full course fee of S$5,885.

Clean Energy

6. Clean Energy Research and Testbedding Programme (CERT)

The Clean Energy Research and Testbedding Programme (CERT) by the Clean Energy Programme Office (CEPO) and managed by EDB, is a $17 million funding initiative for local and foreign companies and organisations to test and implement clean energy technologies at suitable sites. CERT involves three key partners: the R&D organisations, the technology providers, and the implementers. These three partners are involve in the following areas (obtained from the CERT press release):

The R&D organisations will lead and conduct testbedding activities, while the technology providers will be private sector companies providing the Clean Energy equipment and technologies to participate in the testbedding. Government agencies which are providing the testbedding location and facilitating the project are the implementers.

7. Clean Energy Research Programme (CERP)

The Clean Energy Research Programme (CERP) by the National Research Foundation (NRF) is a $50 million funding initiative for Institutes of Higher Learning, public sector agencies, private companies based in Singapore, and not-for-profit research laboratories, to conduct research and development projects in clean energy. The R&D projects are submitted based on calls for proposals in domains specified by the Clean Energy Programme Office (CEPO). Funding support is up to 70% or 100% of approved direct qualifying costs of a project.

8. Solar Capability Scheme (SCS)

Under the Solar Capability Scheme (SCS), EDB provides funding for new private buildings to install solar technologies. The building must be certified with minimum Green Mark Gold rating by BCA, and the minimum solar system installed should be 10 kWp. The funding provided is between 30% to 40% of the total capital cost and capped at $1 million.

9. Market Development Fund

The Market Development Fund is a $5 million funding initiative by the Energy Market Authority to help in the test-bedding of new electricity generation technologies such as solar, wind, hydrogen and fuel cell, which has significant potential and value in the electricity market.

Green Buildings

10. Green Mark Incentive Scheme for Existing Buildings (GMIS-EB)

The government recently announced in the Sustainable Singapore blueprint that it has set a target for 80% of the existing building stock to achieve at least Green Mark Certified rating by 2030. A $100 million Green Mark Incentive Scheme for Existing Buildings (GMIS-EB) was set up by BCA to encourage private building owners of existing buildings to undertake improvements in energy efficiency. The scheme provides a cash incentive that co-funds up to 35% of the costs for energy efficiency improvements and capped at $1.5 million.

11. Green Mark Incentive Scheme for New Buildings (GMIS-NB)

The enhanced $20 million Green Mark Incentive Scheme for New Buildings (GMIS-NB) by BCA is to accelerate the adoption of green building technologies and design practices. The enhanced scheme provides cash incentives to developers, building owners, project architects and M&E engineers, who achieve at least a BCA Green Mark Gold rating in the design and construction of new buildings.

12. Green Mark Gross Floor Area Incentive Scheme (GM-GFA)

The Green Mark Gross Floor Area Incentive Scheme (GM-GFA) by BCA and URA is to encourage the private sector to develop buildings that attain the higher Green Mark ratings. URA will grant additional floor area over and above the Master Plan Gross Plot Ratio (GPR) control, up to 1% for Green Mark Gold Plus developments and up to 2% for Green Mark Platinum developments, and subject to a cap of 2,500 sqm for Gold Plus and 5,000 sqm for Platinum.

13. MND Research Fund for the Built Environment

The MND Research Fund for the Built Environment is a $50 million funding initiative by the Ministry of National Development (MND) and managed by BCA. The objective of the fund is:

To encourage and support applied R&D that will raise the quality of life and make Singapore a distinctive global city

Under the MND Research Fund, some key focus areas include sustainable development projects such as integrating solar technologies into building facades. The fund covers 30% to 75% of the qualifying cost of the project, subject to a cap of $2 million.

14. Pilot Incentive Scheme for Green Roofs

The Pilot Incentive Scheme for Green Roofs by NParks will start in September 2009 to encourage existing building owners to green their rooftops. The scheme will pilot in the Downtown and Orchard Planning areas, and target low to mid-rise buildings that are highly visible and buildings with low level of street-level greenery. Funding is provided up to 50% of the cost of installation of the green roofs.

15. Gross Floor Area Incentives for Outdoor Refreshment Area on Rooftops

The Gross Floor Area Incentives for Outdoor Refreshment Area on Rooftops by URA complements NParks’ Pilot Incentive Scheme for Green Roofs. URA will grant existing buildings within the Orchard and Downtown Core planning areas additional gross floor area (GFA), beyond the Master Plan permissible Gross Plot Ratio (GPR), to be used for an outdoor refreshment area (ORA) on the rooftop if development owners introduce rooftop landscaping. The incentive scheme provides bonus GFA of up to 200 sqm or 50% of the roof space for ORA use.

Water and Environmental Technologies

16. Water Efficiency Fund (WEF)

The Water Efficiency Fund (WEF) by PUB encourages companies to be more efficient in managing their water demand or promote water conservation in the community. For feasibility studies, PUB will co-fund 50% of the study cost, subject to a cap of $50,000. For water audits, PUB will co-fund 50% of the water audit cost, subject to a cap of $5,000. For community campaigns and programmes, PUB will co-fund 50% of organising the programme, subject to a cap of $5000. Funding is also available for water recycling efforts and use of alternative source of water.

17. Fast-Track Environmental and Water Technologies Incubator Scheme (Fast-Tech)

The Fast-Track Environmental and Water Technologies Incubator Scheme (Fast-Tech) is an initiative by the Environmental and Water Industry Development Council (EWI) and managed by EDB. The Fast-Tech scheme aims to grow environmental and water start-ups by providing financial incentives and mentoring by specialized incubators. Funding is provided up to $500,000 per company or up to 85% of qualifying costs, over two years.

18. Technology Pioneer (TechPioneer) Scheme

The Technology Pioneer (TechPioneer) Scheme by the Environmental and Water Industry Development Council (EWI) aims to accelerate the commercialization of new environment and water technologies by bringing together both technology vendors and users to apply jointly under this scheme. Funding is provided up to $2 million or 30% of total qualifying costs for a technology user.

19. Incentive for Research and Innovation Scheme (IRIS)

The Incentive for Research and Innovation Scheme (IRIS) by the Environmental and Water Industry Development Council (EWI) funds Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), Research Institutes and Singapore companies to research and develop new environmental and water technologies (EWT) that lead to significant and sustainable growth opportunities in the EWT industry. Funding is provided up to 100% for IHLs, public sector agencies and non-profit research entities, and up to 70% for companies and for-profit research entities.

20. Environmental Technology Capability Development Programme (EnviroTech CDP)

The Environmental Technology Capability Development Programme (EnviroTech CDP) by SPRING helps local environmental small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to enhance their enterprise competitiveness and industry innovation. The EnviroTech CDP covers applied research, product development and commercialisation. Funding is provided for a portion of the project qualifying costs, which include manpower, equipment, materials, and professional services.

21. Innovation Voucher Scheme

The Innovation Voucher Scheme (IVS) by SPRING aims to encourage local SMEs to work with public Knowledge Institutions (KI) like the Centres of Innovation (COIs) to test new technology and innovative ideas. All SMEs can apply for an innovation voucher worth S$5,000 from SPRING, which can be redeemed at participating KIs such as the Centre of Innovation in Environmental and Water Technology (EWT COI) in Ngee Ann Polytechnic, for advice and to develop new products and processes.

22. Innovation for Environmental Sustainability (IES) Fund

The Innovation for Environmental Sustainability (IES) Fund is managed by NEA and helps companies to implement innovative environmental projects. The proposed project must have strong innovation and early adoption elements, and help Singapore meet its goal of environmental sustainability. The IES Fund provides funding to cover some of the qualifying cost of the project, up to a maximum of $2 million.

Green Transport

23. Land Transport Innovation Fund (LTIF)

The $50 million Land Transport Innovation Fund (LTIF) by LTA encourages research initiatives in land transport research and pilot trials for a more viable and sustainable land transport system. Funding is provided up to 90% of the total project cost and capped at $1 million per project.

24. Green Vehicle Rebate (GVR)

Owners of new hybrid, electric and CNG vehicles will enjoy the Green Vehicle Rebate (GVR) till 31 Dec 2011. The rebate is equivalent to 40% (for passenger vehicles) or 5% (for buses and commercial vehicles) of the vehicle’s Open Market Value (OMV) that can be used to offset the Additional Registration Fee (ARF) payable at registration.

Waste Minimisation

25. 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Fund

The 3R Fund by NEA is a $8 million co-funding scheme to encourage organisations to implement waste minimisation and recycling projects. Funding is provided up to 80% of the qualifying costs and subject to a cap of $1 million per project, and depends on the quantity and type of waste reduced or recycled.

26. Environment Technology Research Programme (ETRP)

The Environment Technology Research Programme (ETRP) is a new $15 million seed funding programme by the Environmental and Water Industry Development Council (EWI) and NEA to build up technological competencies and support companies and researchers in waste management.

The ETRP awards grants to R&D projects on waste management such as energy recovery, materials recovery and special waste treatment, and is open to researchers from Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), public sector agencies, not-for-profit research organizations and Singapore-registered companies. The maximum funding for each project is up to $2 million and for a maximum of 3 years.

Environmental Management System

27. Local Enterprise Technical Assistance Scheme (LETAS)

The Local Enterprise Technical Assistance Scheme (LETAS) by SPRING helps SMEs to engage an external consultant to implement quality management and IT systems, including the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System standard. Funding is provided up to 50% of consultancy cost, subject to a maximum grant cap of $5,000.

Environmental Initiatives

28. 3P Partnership Fund

The 3P Partnership Fund by NEA aims to encourage organisations, companies and individuals from the People, Private and Public (3P) sectors to work together to develop environmental initiatives and promote environmental ownership. First-time applicants would receive no more than 50% of the eligible costs, while for other applicants, the Evaluation Panel will determine the grant to be offered based on the merits of the submission.

Clean Development Mechanism

29. Clean Development Mechanism Documentation Grant

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Documentation Grant by NEA encourages companies to develop CDM projects in Singapore. Funding is provided up to 50% of the qualifying cost of engaging a carbon consultant to develop a new methodology and Project Design Document (PDD), or only up to 30% if the carbon consultant develops a PDD using an existing approved methodology. The maximum amount of funding for a CDM project is capped at $100,000.

Green IT

30. Infocomm Leadership and Development Programme (iLEAD)

The Infocomm Leadership and Development Programme (iLEAD) is a new manpower development initiative by IDA to develop the knowledge and capabilities of infocomm professionals in niche technology areas, including Green IT (Virtualisation, Data Centre Architecture).

Companies can tap on iLEAD to build up the capabilities of their employees and new trainees in niche technology areas such as Green IT via local and overseas work attachments and specialised professional courses. IDA will provide training grants and co-fund airfare and living allowances for overseas attachments.

Image credit: TALUDA; Energy Label via E2 Singapore; Wordle image via http://www.wordle.net/.

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About Phoenix Solar Pte Ltd

Phoenix Solar Pte Ltd (Phoenix Solar) is the Singapore subsidiary of Germany-based Phoenix Solar AG. The company designs, engineers and installs solar photovoltaic power systems for grid-connected and off-grid applications. Since it started operations here in early 2007, Phoenix Solar has secured contracts for over 400kWp of PV systems in Singapore, Malaysia and China.

1. What are the opportunities and challenges of solar energy adoption in Singapore?

Let’s start with the biggest challenge: solar energy still costs 2-3 times the retail electricity tariff in Singapore. Very few people or companies value the green benefits of solar energy enough to justify such a large cost premium. Most will prefer to wait until the cost comes down or the government offers a clear incentive to adopt solar energy systems.

Why install systems today? Singapore’s opportunity comes from being a pioneer in the Equatorial region. So far the main markets are all in temperate climates (Europe, US, Japan, Korea), and products are designed to suit those markets. Singapore can develop solutions to meet the specific challenges posed by our tropical environment, giving us the advantage as lower costs lead to huge regional markets opening up.

A second, longer term opportunity comes from demonstrating to our neighbours how solar energy can lower our carbon footprint without compromising our living standards. As an island nation, it is in our best interest to encourage China, India, Indonesia and others to combat global warming by reducing GHG emissions.

2. The high up-front cost and long payback period of solar systems has deterred some consumers. What are some of the solutions to overcome these problems?

Singapore is already pursuing three tentative solutions on a relatively small scale:

1. The CERT programme (Clean Energy Research and Test bedding) funds up to 70% of the installed costs of PV (photovoltaic) systems on selected government buildings. For example, Marina Barrage, HDB, Gardens By The Bay, Yishun Hospital and Singapore Polytechnic.
2. The Solar Capability Scheme (SCS) is open to private developers and funds 30-40% of the installed costs for PV projects on new or renovated buildings with minimum Green Mark Gold award level.
3. BCA’s Green Mark programme is now compulsory for all new buildings with a GFA above 2,000m². They revised the scheme in April to award up to 20 bonus points for renewable energy systems.

The above three programmes are already having quite an effect on the Singapore market. I estimate barely 50kWp of PV systems were installed in 2007, growing to around 400kW in 2008 and close to 2,000kW in 2009. That is an impressive growth rate, albeit from a tiny base.

3. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the best and 10 being the worst, rate the Singapore government’s efforts in supporting the solar energy industry.

That depends on which part of the industry you consider! Singapore gets a good grade for attracting solar manufacturing (eg REC, NorSun, Solar-Fabrik, Oerlikon) and R&D (Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore) to the country.

But compared to the good examples set by Europe, US, Korea and Japan, Singapore gets a very low grade for its half-hearted support of solar energy installations. For example, there is no incentive scheme at all for private residential systems.

There are several minor programmes, such as those listed above. And the Energy Market Authority (EMA) has done a good job by eliminating almost all administrative barriers to grid-connected PV installations (as recently as 2 years ago, grid-connected systems were generally not allowed).

What is missing is a clear goal for the adoption of solar energy in Singapore – for example to aim for solar to contribute 20% of our electricity by the year 2020. With a clearly defined and measurable goal, it is much easier to align policies towards the common aim.

4. As the chairman of the Clean Energy Committee, Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS), what are your roles and responsibilities?

Our scope covers renewable energy and hydrogen fuel cells (which are not a renewable energy source, but are a clean fuel). We aim to promote the clean energy industry development through:

• industry training, forums and seminars;
• trade delegations to regional markets;
• interaction with govt agencies to encourage relevant policies, or develop standards and codes of practice where relevant;
• supporting new start up companies in developing effective business plans.

We have established 4 sub-committees to focus on the key sector-building activities – Solar, Market Development, Information/Database, and Start-ups.

5. What is the future of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) and thin-film solar panels?

These are two quite different topics.

BIPV will remain a small niche for a long time because of its higher cost and complexity, while offering lower energy yields.

The higher cost and complexity comes from customised solutions for each building. Very few architects are prepared to use standardised, mass-produced components, so the BIPV solutions are invariably customised in small volumes for each project.

The lower energy yield is because BIPV modules are seldom positioned ideally to capture the sun (ie on an unshaded roof). They are often integrated into facades, where they only get the sunlight for part of the day.

The biggest application for solar modules is to generate electricity at the lowest cost possible, so manufacturers standardise their products and mass produce them for this purpose. The high volume products are not designed as building elements and seldom meet the required building codes to serve as structural elements.

Thin film technologies increase the variety of PV modules. They come on rigid or flexible substrates, and there is even one in tubular form instead of the more established flat plate type. Modules can be opaque or semi-transparent.

The 4 main types of thin film are amorphous silicon (a-Si), micromorph silicon, Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) and Copper Indium Gallium diselenide (CIGS), which all have different efficiencies and aesthetic properties.

Thin films have the potential for very low cost mass production, but not many manufacturers have mastered the technology sufficiently to scale up to mass production, so traditional crystalline silicon modules still dominate the market with a share of 80-90%.

6. Where do you see the solar energy market in Asia heading in the next 5 years, considering the current financial crisis?

The financial crisis will affect every industry in the short term. For the PV industry, I see it affecting two main areas:

1. Manufacturers will find it harder to finance expansion plans with debt or by IPO. Those that already secured enough funds or completed their recent expansion before the financial turmoil began, will have an advantage. I expect some industry shakeout and consolidation among the manufacturers, and many of those manufacturers are based in Asia.
2. In the short term, PV power plant projects will find it harder to raise debt financing, meaning that some projects will be postponed, and prices will drop a little. But banks will soon conclude that solar power plants in countries with feed-in tariffs are one of the most secure and reliable investment for their cash. So the power plant market will pick up again in the mid term.

But a separate phenomenon brings good news for Asian markets. The high prices for modules over the last few years were driven by the strong Euro and by high feed in tariffs in Spain creating more demand than manufacturers could supply. Both the Spanish and German governments have revised incentive schemes downwards from 2009. Meanwhile, module production has increased further. Combined with a weaker Euro, this means we can expect lower prices in Asian currencies.

Lower prices of course lead to more market opportunities, as more customers will find the economics of solar power systems appealing.

In countries with relatively high power prices, such as Singapore, we might even see grid parity by around 2014. At that point, electricity from PV will compete against conventional power, without needing any subsidies or incentive schemes. Then we can look forward to an explosion of demand for PV.

Singapore’s success in the future regional market will depend a lot on how well it develops its home market over the next 2-3 years.

This interview is conducted with Mr Christophe Inglin, Managing Director of Phoenix Solar Pte Ltd. Visit Phoenix Solar’s website at www.PhoenixSolar.sg.

About Brother International Singapore Pte Ltd

Brother is a leader in the development and manufacturing of technologies in the printing, communication and digital imaging industries for homes, SOHOs and enterprises who demand solutions that empower businesses and individuals to communicate ideas in every possible way. A trusted brand worldwide that believes in the “Customer First” approach in all aspects of their business, Brother has continuously met the varied needs of their customers through their comprehensive range of quality printing solutions. Brother’s regional South East Asia headquarters, with fully integrated sales, marketing and services capabilities is located in Singapore. Across the region, Brother has subsidiaries in Thailand, Philippines and Malaysia, as well as liaison offices in Indonesia and Vietnam.

1. Describe your organisation’s green initiatives and practices.

Brother globally takes the concept of “Corporate Social Responsibility” to heart as we seek to give life to “At Your Side”. Brother began a company-wide environmental organization for each product division in September 1991. Following in 1993, Brother formulated the first Environmental Action Plan to be implemented across all sectors including banning the use of CFC 113, all chlorinated solvents and trichloroethane in the production process for all Brother and wholly-owned subsidiaries’ facilities.

All Brother companies globally adopt the Brother’s Group in the 5R: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Reform and Recycle from product development and design to collection and recycling. Several environmental concerns are taken into considerations throughout these stages including complying with the laws and rules of various countries that are marketed, compact and lightweight to conserve resources, reduce CO2 emissions in distribution and transport, improve energy conservation when the product is being used, do not contain hazardous chemicals and are recyclable.

In Singapore, Brother is at the forefront of sustainable and environmentally responsible business. Not only have we gained the prestigious ISO 14001 Environmental certification this year, we also have in place a comprehensive consumables recycling program which not only seeks to recover Brother consumables from the corporate sector, but also to recover and recycle Brother used consumables from the mass consumer market.

2. Why did your organisation decide to go green?

As the world is taking measures to prevent global warming and with the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol being implemented, Brother, as a manufacturer place top priority on reducing CO2 emissions throughout all manufacturing processes and also in the use and transport of our products.

On a global level, the Brother Group continuously position environmental awareness and conservation as one of key topics in our businesses with the responsibility to protect the environment as global citizens. We aim to balance economics and the environment with the same attitude with “At your side”.

As the Brother Group expands the business on a global scale, we work towards minimising environmental load in all operation aspect and recognise energy conservation at manufacturing facilities. As for dealing with products, we implement resource recovery and recycling, and chemical management as top priority issues.

3. What are the challenges faced by your organisation in going green?

We would consider the implementation of public or mass strategies the most challenging, where we have to engage our customers in meeting our organisational goals such as high rate of returns for all consumables for recycling. These exercises take time and a lot of resources to fine-tune.

However, that does not mean we stop trying. We constantly brainstorm on new ideas to balance the equation between customers’ convenient, our available resources and the impact our activities would have on the environment. And we are confident that we can succeed by our will and determination. A good case in point is this project in which we are able to provide customer the convenience to return the used cartridges, enabling us to collect more used cartridges at manageable cost for recycling and at the same time making positive impact to our brand and the environment.

4. How has going green help your organisation?

Internally, there is an inherent satisfaction in helping our planet, and in doing our part for a worthy global cause. On the marketing front, it is good branding to have our customers trust in our products, and to have them engage in our recycling activities. At the personal level, the transformation of our habits and lifestyle towards environmental-friendly practices is also taking root such as turning off lights when meeting rooms are empty, double-sided printing to reduce paper usage, using recycled materials for goodie bags, etc. Ultimately, this translates to our staff playing our part to make Brother become a truly good corporate global company.

5. Does your organisation have other green plans over the next few years?

In Singapore, we have been an active player in the green category. In the past, we have already implemented a toner recycling program for our corporate customers where used toners and drums are collected regularly from their offices for recycling purposes. Some of these corporate customers include Motorola and Watson.

As part of our 100th year anniversary this year, Singapore has gone ahead with the next program by being the first printer company to launch the first islandwide recycling program in Singapore via local post (ie. Singapore Post Office).

Brother customers can now recycle Brother’s used consumables at their own convenience at anywhere in Singapore. They can post their used Brother ink cartridges in Brother’s own developed postage-free envelope. Envelopes can be collected from Brother’s authorised resellers and Brother customer service centre or request for an envelope online at www.brother.com.sg/recycling.

Other recycling activities conducted include placement of attractive Brother recycling bins at selected resellers’ stores located in Funan DigitalLife Mall and Sim Lim Square, as well as roadshows/ exhibitions like COMEX, IT Show and PC Show where customers can bring their used ink and toner cartridges for recycling when they visit the resellers to purchase new ones. Alternatively, customers can also deposit their used consumables at Brother Customer Service Centre located at Gateway East along Beach Road.

In the future, we want to create more awareness in our ink cartridge recycling campaign to increase the participation and also increase the locations on the placement of our recycling bins. For Brother Singapore, we hope to bring our recycling efforts to a higher adoption.

6. What advice would you give to organisations who are interested to go green?

We feel that environment conservation is an important role for everyone to play to ensure the future of Mother Earth. Organisations have to continuously market the importance of customers’ impact on the environment by educating them to purchase products from companies who abide with global environment standards from design and development of products to the end of the product cycle life.

This interview is conducted with Mr Takeo Shimazu, Managing Director of Brother International Singapore Pte Ltd. Visit Brother’s website at http://www.brother.com.sg/.

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About Hewlett-Packard Asia Pacific

HP, the world’s largest technology company that operates in more than 170 countries around the world provides printing and personal computing products and IT services, software and solutions that simplify the technology experience for consumers and businesses. We explore how technology and services can help people and companies address their problems and challenges, and realize their possibilities, aspirations and dreams. We apply new thinking and ideas to create more simple, valuable and trusted experiences with technology, continuously improving the way our customers live and work.

1. Please describe Green IT.

Today, IT organizations face a number of challenges: to support business growth and new initiatives, to integrate acquired businesses quickly and to roll out new products and services rapidly – while at the same time reducing environmental impact.

Strategically, IT organizations are called on to help businesses exploit technology for business and competitive advantage. Fiscally, they’re continuously challenged to reduce costs even as businesses grow and energy costs spiral upward.

HP, which built decades of innovation and leadership in enterprise “green” technology, has assembled the most complete portfolio for creating an environmentally sound technology infrastructure where business opportunities outweigh the cost.

HP’s Green Business Technology Initiative helps customers to address Green IT needs through energy-efficient solutions for the data center and beyond – where better business outcomes equal better environmental outcomes.

Customers can meet their most demanding technology challenges while at the same time, reducing environmental impact. With the use of energy efficient solutions, companies can accelerate business growth; reduce costs and risk – while at the same time minimizing the environmental impact of the technology infrastructure.

2. Do you see more companies in the Asia Pacific region adopting Green IT? What are the factors affecting the adoption?

We certainly see an uptake across Asia Pacific for HP’s portfolio of systems, software and services that reduce costs and minimize environmental impact. Key technology areas which customers are adopting Green IT include virtualization, management, power and cooling, and asset-recovery services. In particular, initiatives include increasing energy efficiency of servers and power supplies, building solutions to exponentially increase energy efficiency in cooling a data center, and creating software to measure energy usage. HP also provides processes for taking back equipment to safeguard data and ensure responsible disposal.

Barriers to adoption include a lack of awareness of the social and business benefits of energy-efficient technologies. Adopting such initiatives make good business sense, for there can be significant environmental and cost savings to be had in the long run.

Another significant barrier includes a current lack of uniform regulatory guidelines across Asia Pacific. However, this situation is fast changing. Initiatives such as carbon taxes and other regulatory measures will be introduced in time to come, setting the foundation for future sound environmental policies.

3. Can you give some examples of how companies have benefited from adopting Green IT?

The benefits of energy-efficient solutions are as follows:

Accelerating Business Growth

• Energy-efficient solutions ensure sustainable growth for businesses as their employee bases grow with energy saving devices, better cross-company collaboration, and reduced travel with virtual collaboration tools.

Cost Reduction

• Energy costs can be reduced by optimizing data center capacity and the number of physical assets needed through consolidation and virtualization solutions.
• HP offers services that outsource part or the entire data center to reduce customer’s facilities maintenance costs.

Mitigation of Risks

• Energy-efficient solutions help to better manage, monitor and measure environmental footprint to meet corporate and regulatory commitments.
• Solutions ensure business continuity with effective power management to prevent outages and regulate resource allocation.
• Customers can leverage HP’s own sustainable supply chain and materials management practices to better meet their own supply chain audit requirements.

4. What are your views on climate change and the role of the IT industry?

Many companies now recognize that business success and environmental responsibility go hand in hand. As social awareness increases, technology is changing to accommodate these changes. It is important for the IT industry to generate awareness of the advantages and benefits of implementing Green Business Technology initiatives for social, environmental and business benefits.

5. Please describe HP’s green initiatives and practices in the Asia Pacific region?

With data centers and computer closets consuming more than 1% of the world’s electricity, opportunities are significant. HP scientists estimate business technology consumes 415 million tons of coal per year with 864 million tons of CO2 greenhouse emissions.

HP has a rich heritage of environment responsibility and is committed to helping our customers protect the environment. We use a holistic approach to facilitating energy conservation and resource efficiency from conserving energy and reducing waste, reusing equipment and recycling supplies.

Within the data center, Data Center Transformation solutions such as server consolidation help to reduce server footprint by up to 70%. Dynamic smart cooling also helps customers to cut data center carbon footprint by up to 40% and make data centers more energy-efficient.

In the workplace, teleconferencing and video conferencing solutions also reduces air-travel costs and the related carbon footprint, while the use of energy-efficient PCs help lower total cost of ownership, electric bills and ensure ENERGY STAR® compliance.

6. What advice would you give to companies and organizations who are interested to go green?

It is important for businesses to plan and develop an overall strategy across the data center, defining an end-state appropriate for their business needs.

Companies first need to identify and prioritize their IT and environmental goals, and set realistic timeframes based on these goals. The next step is to have the vendor assess a company’s current IT set-up and then move towards crafting a sustainable IT plan using a phased implementation approach.

Customers should select the right Green IT solutions and approach to meet business objectives, starting with a thorough understanding of current business needs. This assessment can help companies to make stepwise investments with incremental returns, which is crucial in meeting the most demanding technology challenges while reducing environmental impact.

This interview is conducted with Mr Simon Hum, Program Director, Adaptive Infrastructure, Technology Solutions Group for HP Asia Pacific and Japan. Visit HP’s website at www.hp.com.

About Lenovo

Lenovo is dedicated to building exceptionally engineered personal computers. Lenovo’s business model is built on innovation, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction as well as a focus on investment in emerging markets. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services worldwide. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information see www.lenovo.com.

1. Describe your organisation’s green initiatives and practices.

In a nutshell, Lenovo is committed to environmental leadership in all of its business activities, from our operations to the design of our products and use of our technology. Lenovo’s corporate policy on environmental affairs is supported by the company’s global environmental management system, which is the key element of the company’s efforts to achieve results consistent with environmental leadership and ensures the company is vigilant in protecting the environment across all of its operations worldwide.

Lenovo is committed to employing development and manufacturing processes that do not adversely affect the environment, that minimize waste, prevent air, water and other pollution and minimize health and safety risks. We’re also committed to the safe and responsible disposal of waste. Our green policy highlights an internal operational commitment to conserve energy, use energy efficiently and give preference to renewable over nonrenewable energy sources when feasible.

As a global company, we’re committed to participating in efforts to improve environmental protection around the world and share appropriate pollution prevention technology, knowledge and methods. We aim to meet or exceed applicable government requirements and voluntary requirements to which Lenovo subscribes.

Above all, we set and adhere to stringent requirements of our own and strive to continually improve Lenovo’s environmental management system and performance.

2. Why did your organisation decide to go green?

We’re committed to corporate social responsibility – for our employees, our shareholders, customers and suppliers, and very importantly, the communities in which we operate in the world.

I don’t think going green is a luxury in the current climate. It’s a business imperative. A great example of this is the products we deliver. It wasn’t always the case that a customer’s priority when buying a new PC was its energy efficiency but today, this is fundamental. So we keep challenging ourselves and we’ve been continuing to raise the bar on environmentally friendly PCs.

Our recently announced products include a range of EPEAT Gold-rated PCs and innovations toward making our products increasingly environmentally friendly. This is just further proof that innovation towards green technology is relentless at Lenovo, and just as significant as the investment we make in improving the performance, reliability and durability of our products.

3. What are the challenges faced by your organisation in going green?

I think the challenges are benchmarking externally as well as internally. And the guiding principles are always the same: How do we act as an environmentally responsible neighbor in the communities where we operate and what can we do better in this area than we have done before. For example, how can we continue to develop, manufacture and market products that are energy efficient, protect the environment and can be reused, recycled or disposed of safely. And because we’re a business, the challenge is naturally to find a way to do this cost-effectively so that our green products don’t have to be premium products.

We conduct self-assessments of our compliance against our own environmental policy and this is reported periodically to our senior executive management. It’s our aim to be an environmentally responsible neighbor in the communities where we operate so we’re committed to the prompt reporting of any conditions that may threaten health, safety or the environment to authorities and affected parties and then to act promptly and responsibly to correct these conditions.

Overall, we are committed to providing appropriate resources to fulfill the objectives of our environmental policy.

4. How has going green helped your organisation?

We use our own products – which is a great start. Apart from the cost savings, I think it’s the knowledge that the company is committed to sustainability that is the real reward – whether you make the policies at the company or are someone who helps the company live these commitments every day.

In March 2008, Lenovo was voted China’s most socially responsible company by readers of The Financial Times online. And on Earth Day – April 22, 2008 – the first China Green Companies Annual Summit in Beijing recognized Lenovo as the ‘Benchmark Company of China Green Companies’. The Summit also ranked Lenovo #1 in the IT sector.

5. Does your organisation have other green plans over the next few years?

In recognition of the need for control of the greenhouse gases for which industry is responsible, Lenovo has set a voluntary target of improving our operational carbon efficiency by 10% by 2012, against a baseline of 2007.

6. What advice would you give to organisations who are interested to go green?

We have something called the Lenovo Energy Calculator. This tool uses actual energy calculations from internal Lenovo testing, to determine the energy savings on our Lenovo desktops, noteboooks and monitors. The energy savings are based on an estimated usage model for various configurations. Costs per kilowatt hour are based on 2007 US dollar calculations. Rates by country are based on 2007 information published by the United States Department of Energy. CO2 emission factors are from the US Dept. of Energy’s most recent data published in 2002. The tool allows you to select “Customize” and input your specific cost, CO2 emission factor and usage profile. We encourage potential customers to use this tool as a gauge of the cost-savings they could see from switching to energy efficient products.

This interview is conducted with Mr Ronnie Lee, Country General Manager, Lenovo Singapore. Visit Lenovo’s website at www.lenovo.com.