The tenth Eco-Products 2008 Exhibition will be held from 11-13 Dec at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center (TOKYO BIG SIGHT) in Tokyo. This annual exhibition is one of the biggest environmental event in Japan, showcasing environmentally friendly products and services. The three-day event is organised by the Japan Environmental Management Association for Industry (JEMAI) and Nikkei Inc., and is expected to draw more than 750 companies and organizations, and more than 170,000 visitors.

The theme for this year’s exhibition is “We Can Do It! Eco-lifestyle with a 50% CO2 Reduction”. Check out the Eco-Products 2008 website for more info and the list of exhibitors. English guided tours are also available here.

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Speaker: Mr Nobuo Tanaka, Executive Director, International Energy Agency

Venue: Casuarina Room, Shangri-La Hotel, 22 Orange Grove Road, Singapore 258350

The Executive Director of the IEA will outline key data and policies from the 2008 edition of the World Energy Outlook (WEO), including new energy projections to 2030 (by region and by fuel type), and key issues such as prospects for oil and gas production, and post-2012 climate scenarios. Details and registration is available here.

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Speaker: Benjamin K. Sovacool, Research Fellow in the Energy Governance Program, Centre on Asia and Globalization, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

Venue: Seminar Room 2-2, Level 2, Manasseh Meyer, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, 469C Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 259772

This seminar discusses the public policy mechanisms to promote clean energy supply and use, and explains why these policy mechanisms must be implemented comprehensively. Details and registration at the LKYSPP website.

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Speaker: Jem Bendell, Director, Lifeworth Consulting, Associate Professor, Griffith Business School

Venue: Seminar Room 2-2, Level 2, Manasseh Meyer, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, 469C Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 259772

This seminar discusses corporate responsibility trends and the implications for research, policy and management. Details and registration at the LKYSPP website.

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Sustainable manufacturing is defined as the creation of manufactured products that use processes that are non-polluting, conserve energy and natural resources, and are economically sound and safe for employees, communities, and consumers.

Many large, multinational companies are cognizant of impending overseas environmental regulations and growing consumer demand for a new generation of environmentally friendly products, and they are beginning to formulate their response. Some have embraced the notion that green products and production techniques are a competitive weapon.

These companies are finding that green manufacturing initiatives offer competitive market advantages. Manufacturers can actually save money by institutionalising greener products and processes. Sustainable manufacturing has become not only a more responsible way for many organisations to do business, but a more profitable way as well.

Motivated by spiralling energy costs, growing concerns about the future of non-renewable resources and surging consumer demand for eco-friendly products, manufacturing giants such as GE’s Ecomagination, IBM, Dupont, Toyota, BP, BASF, Apple Computer and many of the world’s leading producers have incorporated sustainable manufacturing as a major enterprise-wide initiative. The result has been dramatic and measurable energy savings, reduced carbon emissions, and new, cost efficient recycling and waste treatment methods and a wide range of new clean technologies and products.

marcus evans’ ‘Sustainable Manufacturing’ conference will look at how leading manufacturers are meeting the sustainability challenge and transforming their processes. With sessions focusing on environmentally friendly product development and green supply chains, this conference will cover sustainable manufacturing from design through to the supply chain.

Top manufacturers will present case studies demonstrating how they are evolving their businesses to become more sustainable. Delegates will walk away with real-world examples that they can apply to their own sustainable manufacturing processes from companies that have invested significant time and resources in meeting this challenge. Past years marcus evans’ “Quality Driven Manufacturing” conference has attracted 46 delegates and 60 over delegates for “Lean Manufacturing Excellence” in Mandarin Oriental, Manila, Philippines.

This year’s manufacturing conference ‘Sustainable Manufacturing’ will be held at Prince Hotel & Residence, Kuala Lumpur on 19th and 20th January 2008 will look at Green product architecture and conceptualization, Green procurement, Greening manufacturing process, Managing a sustainable supply chain.

Among the distinguished chairpersons for this conference would be Dr. Ahmad Fariz Mohamed, Chair Research Centre For Environmental, Economics and Social Sustainability (Institute for Environment and Development Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia) and Michael Pitcher, Environmental and OHS Coordinator (Schiavello Group Australia). Featuring keynote presentation by Aida Greenbury, Director of Sustainability & Stakeholder Engagement (APP Indonesia) and highlights the participation of representatives from local and international companies such as Environment & Bioprocess Technology Centre SIRIM, Green Purchasing Network Malaysia, Toyota, Johnson & Johnson, Intel, Unilever Asia, Fabrinet Co. Ltd, Schiavello Group Australia, Perkin Elmer Optoelectronics Philippines Inc and Brandix Group.

For more information, please contact:

Ms Catherine Foo, Marketing Assistant, marcus evans

Tel: +603 2723 6757

Email: CatherineF@marcusevanskl.com

Website: www.marcusevans.com

Green Business Times is a media partner of Sustainable Manufacturing. An exclusive 10% discount is extended for Green Business Times readers to attend the conference if they register with Catherine at CatherineF@marcusevanskl.com.

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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.

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Recycling Day is an annual event where the public can learn more about recycling and the 3Rs through exhibition booths, exchange of recyclables for gifts, and taking part in various games and contests.

This year’s Recycling Day will be held at the main site, Blk 252, Yu Hua Village, and three other satellite sites at Hougang Central, Blk 123 Bukit Merah View, and Yio Chu Kang Secondary School. Visit the Clean and Green Singapore 2009 website for more details.

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Speaker: Dr Chris Hails, Director (Network Relations), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)

Venue: Seminar Room II, ISEAS

This seminar discusses the key findings of the WWF’s Living Planet Report, and explores how we can avoid the ecological credit crunch and close the gap between humanity’s footprint and available biocapacity. Details and registration at the ISEAS website.

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Singapore’s Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew gave the Singapore Energy Lecture at the Singapore Energy Conference held last week. The video of the lecture is available at the Energy Market Authority website. MM Lee spoke on the following energy issues:

• Singapore’s green efforts over the years and the need to maintain the efforts because:

The point is, if we don’t do this, we lose our status as a clean, green city and we’ll lose our business and lose our extra premium for being an unusual city.

• Major economies such as China and India have to take climate change seriously:

If they get that message within 10, 15 years, then I think there’s hope, all is not lost. If it comes too late, if it comes 30, 40 years we are all in trouble.

• Nuclear energy is the real alternative although the big problem is where to site the nuclear plant:

The real alternative that can produce the electricity generation to match oil and gas is nuclear.

• ASEAN countries need to cooperate on energy by having a common power grid and pipelines:

I hope our neighbours also come to the conclusion that we are forced to cooperate. If we understand the complexity and immensity of the problems the world faces, and which we will face in Southeast Asia, then we should have a common grid and a common pipeline so that it’s transferable. 

• Singaporeans are not ready to pay more for renewable energy:

Singaporeans are cost-conscious. They don’t care where the energy comes from, they just want to know which is the cheaper option.

• The need to lower consumption:

There are limits to what man’s ingenuity can do, so let’s consume less … and live within the limits of what the world can sustain.

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Mr Peter Schwartz, Chairman of the Global Business Network and renowned futurist, gave a keynote address on “Assessing the Energy Landscape for Today and Tomorrow” at the Singapore Energy Conference held last week. He is also a member of the International Advisory Panel (IAP) on Energy set up by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) to “provide insights and perspectives on emerging trends in the global energy arena, and to advise on the strategic directions for the energy sector in Singapore”.

In his presentation, Mr Schwartz focused on five key questions for the energy future:

1. How much will income grow?
2. How much will efficiency contribute?
3. What is the future of conventional oil and gas?
4. How much will greenhouse gas matter?
5. What is the future of low carbon technology?

These five questions will define how our energy future would look like. Let’s take a closer look at Mr Schwartz’s thoughts on the questions.

How much will income grow?

• The world is growing richer with total global GDP increasing 3.5 times and change in global GDP per capita increasing 2 times over the last 35 years.
• Each country’s size, history and density matters.
• Related questions include where the growth in income comes from and how widely distributed is the income growth.
• The reality is that people want a higher standard of living, more and bigger cars, and to travel more, thus increasing our energy usage.

How much will efficiency contribute?

• Are the efficiency gains due to marginal technology improvements? Due to major leaps in technology that decrease demand? Or due to major changes in how we do things that decrease demand?

What is the future of conventional oil and gas?

• Although oil could become limited, the reason is not because oil supplies are running out but due to lack of technology and investment.
• What are the price dynamics of oil and gas?
• How political will supply be?

How much will greenhouse gas matter?

• The climate realities are that climate change is underway now with increasing frequency of extreme events, causing high impact on vulnerable societies. The climate will be increasingly variable and extreme.
• The policy realities are that climate change policies is chaotic, inconsistent and variable. Climate change policies need to become coherent, effective and global.

What is the future of low carbon technology?

• How fast will solar become cheaper?
• Will energy storage be more effective?
• We will be using more coal no matter what.
• Cleantech investments would come from venture capital, corporate R&D spending and government funding.
• The use of hydrogen would involve a major transition and cannot happen quickly.
• The technhology realities are that all technology have major issues.
• There will be a convergence between transportation fuels and electricity. The future of transportation will be electricity-driven based on charging vehicle batteries or using electricity to produce hydrogen as a vehicle fuel.

Based on the questions, 4 energy scenarios are developed as shown below. How we response to the challenges and opportunities posed by the questions will decide how our energy future scenarios play out.

Which energy scenario do you wish to see? Is your company ready for such a scenario? We think that scenario planning is useful for companies to map out their future and be ready for future challenges and opportunities. If you are interested in scenario planning, check out Peter Schwartz’s work on scenario planning and his books, The Art of the Long View.

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