Can S’pore buildings go “green” by 2030? [News]

By Joanne Chan, Channel NewsAsia, 22 Oct 2011.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said the goal of “greening” 80 per cent of Singapore’s buildings by 2030 is an “ambitious target”.

Most buildings were constructed before new energy efficiency guidelines kicked in.

So far, about 12 per cent of existing floor areas had been “greened” and most of this took place in new buildings.

But BCA said the situation is improving, and it is working with existing building owners to recognise the benefits of being energy efficient.

In the National Development Ministry’s addendum to the President’s address, Mr Khaw Boon Wan pledged to step up efforts in “greening” buildings to make them more energy efficient and eco-friendly. Read more

National Climate Change Secretariat – Addendum to the President’s Address [Press Releases]

Challenge of Climate Change

1. Climate change is a major challenge for all countries, including Singapore. As an island state, we must stand ready to deal with the impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels. As a responsible member of the global community, we will also play our part to lower carbon emissions. We must work to achieve these goals while safeguarding our standard of living and our economic competitiveness.

Rising to the Challenge

2. We will enhance our understanding and expertise in climate science, and build up Singapore’s resilience and adaptability to climate change in key areas such as coastal protection, water resources and drainage, biodiversity, public health as well as urban infrastructure.

3. We will reduce our carbon emissions in two main ways. First, greater use of less carbon intensive fuels. Second, improved energy conservation and efficiency. This will require us to promote energy efficient design, equipment and processes in industries, transport, buildings and homes. Read more

Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources – Addendum to the President’s Address [Press Releases]

A sustainable and clean Singapore

1 Our careful environmental stewardship over the years has enabled us to build a high quality environment in Singapore for people to live, work and play in. It has been a source of competitive advantage.

2 Looking ahead, to improve our resilience and responsiveness to a changing landscape, we will enhance resource efficiency, improve infrastructure, strengthen capabilities, elevate standards and empower the community.

(I) Enhancing resource efficiency

3 It is a strategic imperative that we use energy, water and materials more efficiently to both reduce pollution and bolster Singapore’s economic resilience.

4 Energy efficiency is one of our key strategies to achieve environmental sustainability, energy security and economic competitiveness. For the industry sector, the Ministry will implement the Energy Conservation Act in 2013. Large energy users will be required to formulate energy efficiency improvement plans, appoint energy managers and to submit energy consumption data. Read more

Singapore walks away with 8 ASEAN Energy Awards [Press Releases]

A total of eight Singapore organisations have received awards at the 2011 ASEAN Energy Awards. This is the largest number bagged by Singapore since the Awards started in 2000. The Awards recognise efforts by innovative companies in ASEAN who promote and implement energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions.

The winners are:

ASEAN Energy Awards – Energy Efficiency Competition (New & Existing Category)

(i) City Square Mall (1st runner-up)
This is the first mall in Singapore to be awarded the Building & Construction Authority’s Green Mark Platinum Award, and is designed with state-of-the-art green building features. To date, the mall has achieved electricity savings of more than 30 percent compared to similar buildings. Read more

Singapore wins big at energy awards [News]

By Esther Ng, Today, 21 Sep 2011.

For their efforts to be environmentally sustainable, eight organisations received the ASEAN Energy Awards, making it the largest number bagged by Singapore since the Awards started in 2000.

The Galen, an eight-year-old building in Singapore Science Park II, won in the Retrofitted Category, while the 30-year-old Ministry of Manpower (MOM) building emerged first runner-up.

Business space solutions provider, Ascendas, which owns The Galen, spent S$3.5 million replacing its air-cooled chillers with four 600 refrigeration ton water-cooled centrifugal chiller plants with an efficiency of 0.56 kilowatts per refrigeration ton.

As a result, the building now only generates 1,300 tons of carbon emission annually, from 4,000 tons before retrofitting. Read more

SMEs can do bit for energy conservation, too

This article is contributed by Chua Wen Hao, Energy Analyst with the Energy and the Environment Division, Energy Studies Institute.

Energy efficiency has been earmarked as an integral part of Singapore’s energy policy. Efficiency gains are acknowledged to be one of the quickest and most cost-effective tools to achieve various policy goals, such as improving energy security, enhancing economic competitiveness or promoting environmental sustainability. To this end, the Singapore government has announced the implementation of the Energy Conservation Act, which will introduce minimum energy management standards for large industrial energy users from 2013.

The industrial sector accounts for almost 60 percent of Singapore’s total energy consumption. As the Act applies to just companies which consume more than 15 gigawatt-hours per year, only those operating on a large scale–generally MNCs (multinational corporations)–will be affected. However, SMEs should and can be doing their bit to save energy and consume energy more efficiently. The European Union, notably France and the UK, has such policies for its SMEs, and in the US, Industrial Assessment Centres have been established with the aim of improving SME energy management. Read more

Singapore Green Building Council Receives US$100,000 Grant from IBM to Help Build a Smarter Planet [Press Releases]

Singapore, 21 July 2011 – The Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC) today was awarded a grant of US$100,000 from IBM to help build a smarter planet by collaborating with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to seed the catalyst for the advancement of the smarter buildings agenda in Singapore. The grant – known as an IBM Centennial Grant – is part of the company’s Centennial Celebration of Service, dedicated to helping communities work better, as it marks its 100th year anniversary.

In this collaboration titled ‘Project Green Insights,’ SGBC will work with MOE to raise awareness of energy efficiency with schools in Singapore. SGBC will also leverage on IBM’s smarter building expertise and technologies to develop a system that will track power usage, and reduce energy and maintenance costs across 20 selected schools in Singapore. Read more

Renewable energy for the future [News]

Three years after the financial crisis sent the price of oil tumbling by more than half, renewable energy sources are again attracting great interest, with the price of Brent crude oil now well above US$100 a barrel.

Jatropha – a hardy, non-edible shrub native to the tropics that bears fruit with large, oily seeds – shows a lot of promise as an important source of renewable energy in the future, says Simon Li, CEO of Feoso Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd, who chairs the Singapore Manufacturers’ Federation energy and chemicals industry group, which promotes the interests of Singapore-based companies involved in the oil, gas and chemicals manufacturing industries.

‘Jatropha can be a safer, cleaner and cheaper alternative to conventional fossil fuels,’ he says. ‘It’s resistant to drought and pests, and it does not compete for arable land. Also, with the first generation of biodiesel feedstock – say, sugarcane or maize – you have to harvest the entire plant. But with jatropha, you just harvest the seeds. So the trees continue to photosynthesise and produce oxygen while reducing carbon dioxide, which is very good for the environment. Read more

The Green Business Times Guide to Singapore Government Funding and Incentives for the Environment

Singapore is well-known as a clean and green city with the government striving for environmental sustainability while growing the economy. The government has also identified Environmental and Water Technologies (EWT) including Clean Energy as strategic areas where Singapore has a competitive edge and which could generate future economic growth.

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)
• Energy Market Authority (EMA)
• 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 33 government funding and incentives for the environment:

1. Energy Efficiency Improvement Assistance Scheme (EASe)
2. Grant for Energy Efficient Technologies (GREET)
3. One-Year Accelerated Depreciation Allowance for Energy Efficient Equipment and Technology (One-Year ADAS)
4. Design for Efficiency Scheme (DfE)
5. SCEM Training Grant
6. Clean Energy Research and Testbedding Programme (CERT)
7. Energy Research Development Fund (ERDF)
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 Incentive Scheme – Design Prototype (GMIS-DP)
13. Green Mark Gross Floor Area Incentive Scheme (GM-GFA)
14. MND Research Fund for the Built Environment
15. A*STAR-MND Joint Grant Call
16. Pilot Incentive Scheme for Green Roofs
17. Gross Floor Area Incentives for Outdoor Refreshment Area on Rooftops
18. Water Efficiency Fund (WEF)
19. Fast-Track Environmental and Water Technologies Incubator Scheme (Fast-Tech)
20. Technology Pioneer (TechPioneer) Scheme
21. Incentive for Research and Innovation Scheme (IRIS)
22. Environmental Technology Capability Development Programme (EnviroTech CDP)
23. Innovation Voucher Scheme
24. Innovation for Environmental Sustainability (IES) Fund
25. Land Transport Innovation Fund (LTIF)
26. Green Vehicle Rebate (GVR)
27. Transport Technology Innovation and Development Scheme (TIDES+)
28. 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Fund
29. Environment Technology Research Programme (ETRP)
30. Local Enterprise Technical Assistance Scheme (LETAS)
31. 3P Partnership Fund
32. Clean Development Mechanism Documentation Grant
33. Infocomm Leadership and Development Programme (iLEAD)

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

Energy efficiency: Look at whole picture [News]

Greater energy efficiency has been recognised as the most important weapon in the struggle to secure energy sources and battle climate change, but the debate over its potential still rages on.

The usual practice is to take an economic or engineering view of energy efficiency.

A typical engineer would calculate a higher energy efficiency potential than an economist, who would factor in cost. But this does not mean the engineer’s point of view is more accurate or less pragmatic than the economist’s. What is needed is a perspective of energy efficiency that considers the system as a whole.

Mainstream econ-omists argue against a high energy efficiency potential on the basis of price-driven market forces which assume the market will automatically capture the benefits of cost-efficient actions. Read more

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