The Singapore Government have announced a $49 million Low-Carbon Energy Research Funding Initiative at the Singapore International Energy Week 2020. It will support research, development and demonstration projects in low-carbon energy technologies such as hydrogen; and carbon capture, utilisation and storage over the next five years.
These efforts aim to accelerate the technical and economic viability of such emerging technologies to reduce Singapore’s carbon emissions, particularly for emissions-intensive areas like the power and industrial sectors.
Minister for Trade and Industry Mr 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. This new funding initiative strengthens our current efforts, and will accelerate our transition towards a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.”
Research projects could include technologies that enable the effective capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) from low-concentration emission sources in the industrial and power sectors, and to convert the CO2 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. These test-beds could yield insights in applying low carbon technologies in Singapore’s context, and facilitate future deployment.
Multi Government Agency Initiative
This funding initiative is a multi-agency involving the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), the Economic Development Board (EDB), the Energy Market Authority (EMA), the National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) and the National Research Foundation (NRF). It will be co-driven by EDB and EMA to ensure projects are relevant to the industrial and power sectors, with A*STAR as the implementing agency on behalf of the Government.
This initiative seeks to build a more sustainable energy future by harnessing the four switches of energy supply, one of which is the use of low-carbon alternatives. It supports Singapore’s vision for a low-carbon and climate-resilient future.
