Renewables 2011 Global Status Report

Global Renewable Energy now accounts for 16% of final energy consumption in 2009 and for about a quarter of global power capacity from all sources. Despite the recession, there is momentum in the sector with total global investment in renewable power and fuels increasing by 32% over the previous year to $211 billion from $160 billion.

These are the figures stated in the Renewable 2011 Global Status Report (REN21). Produced annually since 2005, the report is targeted at policy makers, industry and other stakeholders.

Main findings of REN21

• In 2009, renewable energy supplied an estimated 16% of global final energy consumption. Fossil fuels made up the lion’s share at 81% with nuclear at 2.8%.
• However, of the 16%, 10% is still accounted for by traditional biomass, primarily used for cooking and heating in rural areas of developing countries. Hydropower accounts for 3.4% with other renewables (wind, solar, modern biomass, geothermal and biofuels) at 2.8% in 2009.
• Total investment in renewable energy reached a record $211 billion in 2010, up from $160 billion in 2009, including asset finance, venture capital, private equity investment, public markets and both corporate and government R&D. China attracted nearly $50 billion, making it the leader, followed by Germany, the United States, Italy and Brazil. India ranked 8th in the world for renewable energy investment which rose to US$3.8 billion mainly for wind power projects ($2.3bn) and $400 million each for solar and biomass power (including waste-to-energy). Read more

Clean Energy Expo Asia 2011 Continues to Empower the Sustainable Energy Revolution [Press Releases]

Singapore, 3 November 2011 – The third Clean Energy Expo Asia (CEEA) ended today, after three days of high-level dialogue and intensive networking. Held from 1 to 3 November 2011 at the Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre, the annual sustainable energy Trade Fair and Conference successfully attracted 5,283 clean energy industry players from 62 countries, more than double the number of attendees in the inaugural edition in 2009.

As the platform of choice for industry players in the technology, services, finance and government sectors in the clean technology industry, Clean Energy Expo Asia hosted close to 170 international exhibitors and over 130 distinguished speakers. Jointly organized by Koelnmesse and the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS), Clean Energy Expo Asia was held as part of the Singapore International Energy Week. Read more

Technical factors to consider when implementing solar photovoltaic systems

Solar energy systems are often hailed as one of the more viable renewable energy sources for sunny Singapore. Given that solar module prices are rapidly falling, Singapore will surely reach grid parity in the near future. Grid parity refers to the point where the cost of solar power is equivalent to the cost of electricity generated from conventional fossil fuel power plants. Grid parity could result in an explosion in solar system implementation as consumers and businesses begin to see it as a cost-effective alternative to traditional sources of electricity.

At the Clean Energy Expo Asia 2011 Conference, one of the sessions covered Solar Power Technology with a focus on certain technical considerations that must be factored in when implementing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The session was moderated by Mr Christophe Inglin, Managing Director, Phoenix Solar Pte Ltd, and included speakers, Mr Horst Kruse, Director Sales Photovoltaics Asia, SCHOTT Solar AG, and Dr Jiang Fan, Manger of Technology Centre of Energy Conservation, Singapore Polytechnic. In particular, Mr Kruse focused on the tropicalization of PV modules and Dr Jiang focused on the effect of partial shading. Read more

Clean Energy Expo Asia 2011 – Leading the Charge Towards a Sustainable Energy Future [Press Releases]

Global investment in green technologies is set to hit a high of US$800 billion by 2012, according to the Frost & Sullivan – Benchmarking Country Initiatives on Environment in Asia Pacific report[1]. This result reaffirms the global desire to transit to a resource-efficient and green economy. In particular, Asia-Pacific has become a forerunner in the sustainable energy sector, with an increasing number of green energy and climate-friendly projects.

Aiming to propel this optimistic regional growth further, the annual Clean Energy Expo Asia (CEEA) is back for an exciting third edition. Held from 1 – 3 November 2011, at the Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Singapore, Clean Energy Expo Asia 2011 will once again feature as a key event in the Singapore International Energy Week. Read more

Clean Energy Expo Asia 2010 Continues to Pave the Way for New Opportunities in Renewable Energy

Annual Trade Fair and Conference on clean energy highlighted Asian trends in renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions through intensive, high level discussions and networking held across three days at the Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Held from 2 to 4 November 2010, this year’s Clean Energy Expo Asia (CEEA) saw a significant increase in participants, attracting over 5,000 clean energy professionals from close to 50 countries. More than 170 international exhibitors and over 115 speakers from leading players in the technology, services, finance and government sectors attended the annual Trade Fair and Conference, which was also the closing anchor event for the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW). Read more

New Exhibits and Products at the Singapore International Energy Week

The various Singapore International Energy Week exhibits and the Clean Energy Expo Asia trade fair held currently at Suntec, featured several clean energy solutions, technologies and systems, including solar, wind, energy efficiency, biofuel, waste-to-energy, LED lighting, and hybrid systems. Here are some new exhibits and products that we like: Read more

The 2nd Clean Energy Expo Asia Highlights the Continued Interest and Growth of Clean Energy in Asia

The second Clean Energy Expo Asia Trade Fair and Conference was officially opened today by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources. Clean Energy Expo Asia is jointly organized by the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) and Koelnmesse, and is part of the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW). This year, there are more than 170 exhibitors, over 115 international speakers and about 5,000 participants from over 40 countries, in the Technology, Services, Finance and Government sectors. There is a 30% increase in participation from last year and the exhibition space at the Trade Fair has also doubled. Read more

Clean Energy Expo Asia 2010 set to drive sustainable energy growth in the region

According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, total new investment in sustainable energy worldwide reached $162 billion in 2009, nearly four times of 2004. With $65 billion worth of new financial investment in clean energy already registered in the first half of 2010, some 22 percent up on the same six months of 2009, the market seems to be on an upswing. What is significant is the distinct shift in focus from Europe and North America to Asia-Pacific, with a sharp increase in financial investment from $31.3 billion in 2008 to $40.8 billion in 2009. Some $188 billion in government stimulus packages was also allocated to greening and climate change measures in 15 major economies between the autumn of 2008 and early 2010, with Asia-Pacific accounting for over 45 percent of this spending[1]. Read more

SIEW 2009: Clean Energy Expo Asia 2009

The Clean Energy Expo Asia (CEEA) trade fair and conference was held last week, and brought together leading players in the various clean enery sectors, to discuss the challenges and opportunities in developing clean energy technologies and to explore the role of energy efficiency in a viable clean energy future. Around 71 exhibitors, 80 speakers, and 2,000 participants from over 20 countries were at the trade fair and conference. CEEA is jointly organized by the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) and Koelnmesse and is part of the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW).

Opening Addresses

In his address, Edwin Khew, Chairman of SEAS, shared a new initiative launched by the Asian Development Bank called the Energy For All or E4ALL. This is a partnership between the Bank and the private sector and NGOs, to promote capacity building, clean energy and energy efficiency technology, support, carbon management and project financing through sustainable energy associations in each of the Asia Pacific countries within the E4ALL program.

In his address, David Tan, Deputy Chief Executive of the Energy Market Authority (EMA), announced that EMA will launch a call for an Expression of Interest (EOI) on 20 November, to invite companies to submit proposals to design, build and operate an Intelligent Micro-grid with Clean and Renewable Energy Technologies on Pulau Ubin.

There is currently no power grid to supply electricity to the 100 residents in Pulau Ubin and they use their own diesel generators for electricity. EMA intends to develop 5 interconnected micro-grids serving the north, south, east, west and jetty regions of the island in the future. The micro-grids will rely on renewable energy such as solar PV, concentrated solar power, micro-wind turbines, and biofuels.

The implementation project will start with a small-scale, intelligent micro-grid at the jetty area to integrate the different clean energy technologies and ensure the reliability and quality of the electricity supply. The current annual energy consumption at the jetty area is about 460 MWh, and the current loads include the offices of the National Parks Board, the Police Coast Guard Office, the Ubin Lodge, the Singtel mobile base station, and a small number of residential premises and businesses at the jetty area.

Trade Fair

Here are some photos of clean energy technologies taken at the trade fair:

Smart Environments – Monitor, optimise and visualise using intelligent sensors linked to an open platform

Using Daylight

Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine

Different Solar Panels

Cylindrical Solar Panels

Solar and Wind Powered Streetlights

LED Streetlight

Electric Bicycle