NTU partners MNCs in offshore energy research [News]

By Channel NewsAsia, 7 Oct 2011.

SINGAPORE: New ways to better anchor and stabilise offshore wind turbines and novel nano-coatings to fight corrosion at sea.

These are among the cutting-edge research projects that Nanyang Technological University (NTU) will be conducting to develop efficient offshore power systems around the world, made possible with its latest tie-up with multinational companies.

The MNCs include Rolls Royce, DNV, Vestas and Keppel Offshore & Marine.

Known as the Joint Industry Programme in Offshore Renewables, the venture will see NTU academics working together with the industry in offshore wind turbines and other sea-based power generation research.

NTU said it is the first such programme in the local offshore renewable energy sector. Read more

Wind energy giant flies high here [News]

The possibility of rows of wind turbines on Singapore’s coast, rotating with the breeze while powering the city-state, need not be just a fancy idea blowing in the wind.

Singapore’s wind speeds are too weak to be converted to commercial wind energy but this could change as turbines get more efficient and are able to pick up wind energy at lower speeds, said Danish wind energy giant Vestas Wind System’s president of Asia Pacific, Mr Sean Sutton.

The lack of wind, however, has not stopped Vestas from expanding here. The firm, which set up in Singapore in 2006 with 20 employees, yesterday launched a hub at the new, energy-efficient Mapletree Business City in Pasir Panjang.

It was also Global Wind Day yesterday. Read more

Gamesa opens advanced materials research centre in S’pore [News]

Spanish wind technology leader Gamesa has opened its advanced materials research centre in Singapore.

The lab is housed at the Nanyang Technological University and will focus on improving the performance of Gamesa’s giant wind turbines.

Wind energy is not harnessed in Singapore, but the Economic Development Board said this research lab will put the Republic on the map for global wind energy research. 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

2nd Singapore Green Building Week: Day Two

There are about 100 companies exhibiting their green building technologies and products at BEX Asia 2010. Here are some products that we like:

NU-Flush

A wash basin above the toilet cistern allows used water from the wash basin to be directed into the cistern and used for the next toilet flushing. It is easy to install and saves water.

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