Singapore government launches S$49m fund for low-carbon energy solutions

THE Singapore government on Monday launched a S$49 million research fund to support research, development and demonstration projects in low-carbon energy technologies for the next five years.

The funding initiative is a multi-agency effort involving the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star), Economic Development Board (EDB), Energy Market Authority (EMA), National Climate Change Secretariat, and the National Research Foundation, the entities said in a joint statement on the sidelines of Singapore International Energy Week 2020.

The initiative will be co-driven by EDB and EMA to ensure projects are relevant to the industrial and power sectors. A*Star will be the implementing agency on behalf of the government.

Research projects could include technologies which effectively capture carbon dioxide from low-concentration emission sources in the industrial and power sectors. These projects may also convert the carbon dioxide captured into useful products such as building materials, reclamation sand and synthetic fuels.

Test-beds for emerging technologies, such as the blending of low-carbon hydrogen with natural gas in combined cycle gas turbines, will reduce carbon emissions from electricity generation, the agencies said.

"These test-beds could yield insights in applying low-carbon technologies in Singapore's context, and facilitate future deployment," they noted.

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Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing said: "Hydrogen, and carbon capture, utilisation and storage, are promising technologies that have the potential to transform Singapore's energy landscape and help us achieve our long-term emissions reduction goals."