Challenges and Opportunities in Energy: Perspectives From MIT

January 22, 2009
9:00 am	to	4:00 pm

Venue: National University of Singapore, Shaw Foundation Alumni House Auditorium, 2nd Storey, 11 Kent Ridge Drive, Singapore 119244

This is an energy symposium organised by the MIT Club of Singapore in conjunction with the Singapore-MIT Alliance and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre, with support from the Energy Studies Institute and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. The topics covered include US Energy Perspective, Past, Present, and Future; Renewable Energy; The Built Environment; and New Materials and Energy Technology.

For registration, email your name, designation and organisation to esibox2@nus.edu.sg by 20 January 2009. For enquiries, you may call Ms May Koh at +65 6516 6739.

Singapore Energy Lecture by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew

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.

Singapore Energy Conference: Assessing the Energy Landscape for Today and Tomorrow by Peter Schwartz

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. Read more