Address by Minister Desmond Lee at the Charles Rudd Distinguished Public Lectures 2023 at Singapore Polytechnic
May 25, 2023
1. I am delighted to be able to join all of you both physically and virtually at today’s Charles Rudd Distinguished Public Lectures.
2. Engineers play an important role in Singapore’s nation-building. From infrastructure that provides for our basic needs to distinctive landmarks that put us on the map, your contributions have been key in transforming Singapore into a vibrant city, and will continue to be critical as we push towards a net-zero future.
Transitioning to a Net-Zero World
3. This year’s Lecture theme is “Transitioning to a Net-Zero World”. It recognises that climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of our times. We need to get it right for the sake of our future generations.
4. We are already experiencing its impacts: destructive cyclones and floods, more extreme drought and heatwaves. Closer home, Singapore has experienced its warmest decade on record, with a recent daily maximum temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, matching a 40-year high. All of these underscore the urgency for decisive action.
5. To limit global warming to below 1.5 degree Celsius, the world needs to drastically cut carbon emissions and reach net zero by 2050.
6. Singapore is committed to playing our part in this global effort. In 2021, in the midst of the COVID pandemic, we launched the Singapore Green Plan, which is a whole-of-nation movement galvanising for climate action. Our Government Chief Sustainability Officer, Mr Lim Tuang Liang, will share more on this later.
7. We have also committed to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. This will depend on the development of emerging decarbonisation technologies, and effective international cooperation.
8. Today, I will touch on some of our challenges, as well as the exciting opportunities ahead of us.
Challenges and Opportunities
Energy Reset
9. Let me start with energy reset. First, to transition to a net-zero world, we need a fundamental shift in how we produce and use energy.
10. In Singapore, we have limited options for alternative low-carbon energy. We do not have land for large solar or wind farms; or fast flowing rivers for hydroelectric power.
11. But our constraints can push us to unlock new ways of seeing and doing things. We look to our engineers to help us push the boundaries of research and innovation.
12. For example, in the area of innovative buildings, DBS Newton Green has deployed dual-sided solar panels to maximise clean energy production. This technology harnesses sunlight from the front and back of the panel, and can generate about 25% more electricity than conventional one-sided solar panels. And in some test beds overseas which we have visited, we have seen solar panels move based on the angle of the sun.
13. We are also exploring new sources underground and at sea.
14. At Sembawang Hot Spring Park, hot spring water can be used to cook eggs. But what if this could also be used to power our buildings and industries? Researchers from NTU, TUMCREATE and Surbana Jurong are conducting research at the park and other sites to better understand our geothermal resource potential. If feasible, Singapore will be among the first few countries to deploy next-generation geothermal systems in a densely populated city.
15. Separately, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Bluenergy Solutions are trialling the use of underwater turbines off Pulau Satumu. The electricity generated will be used to power Raffles Lighthouse. If successful, countries with extensive coastlines can potentially adopt this to support local communities.
16. Besides shifting towards cleaner energy, we must also reduce energy consumption across all sectors.
17. Herein lies another challenge – how do we green our buildings, which account for over 20% of our emissions? For new buildings, our engineers can tap on a range of energy-efficient technologies. However, older existing buildings may not have been designed with sustainability in mind; they were built in a different era. While this is a key challenge for the built environment, we have nevertheless seen remarkable efforts by our engineers.
18. In 2019, the Zero Energy Building at BCA Braddell Campus was retrofitted so that it becomes positive energy. Having an existing building produce more energy than it consumes is no easy feat. But our engineers used the latest green building technologies, such as a smart hybrid cooling system. By using both air-conditioning and ceiling fans, the air-conditioning can be set at a higher temperature of 27 degrees Celsius. This reduces energy use, while ensuring thermal comfort, which is really what this is all about.
19. Zero Energy Building Plus demonstrates how we can continually raise the bar on the sustainability of our buildings. We must push ahead with this. By the end of next year, we will require owners of buildings with poor energy performance to undertake energy audits and implement energy efficiency improvement measures. We will need our engineers to work with building owners to design suitable measures to green their buildings.
Circular Economy
20. The energy transition is only one part of the story. For a city-state like Singapore to reach net-zero, we also need to rethink our resource ecosystem.
21. We have to accelerate efforts towards a circular economy, to reduce waste and recycle resources. This reduces emissions from waste incineration, and other stages of the material’s lifecycle, such as production.
22. We have already achieved success in closing some of our resource loops. For instance, used water is collected, treated, and much of it turned into drinking water.
23. And we will step up efforts. We are researching how waste materials and desalination by-products can be transformed into “green cement” for construction.
24. On my recent trip to Switzerland, I visited the NEST, a modular research and innovation building. There is a central core, and it has platforms that can carry loads of modular buildings that are used to test-bed various solutions in near real-time. The DFAB House module in the NEST exemplifies how digital design and construction techniques, such as robotics and 3D printing, can significantly reduce concrete usage, thereby lowering the carbon footprint. What looks like aesthetic design actually allows for more loading, less use of concrete, and helps to dampen sound.
25. The Swiss also promote circularity by reusing everyday items; they had another modular unit to push the boundaries of thinking on design for manufacturing and disassembly, thinking out of the box to reimagine internal partitioning. Not just concrete structural walls, not just dry walls, but old books and jeans were given new leases of life as internal wall partitions, creating aesthetic elements as well. By using easily disassembled and repurposed partitions, emissions from demolition works could be minimised. One takeaway from that trip is that it is not necessarily about high tech or sexy solutions; just push the boundaries, think plainly, and if you are not sure, ask our engineers.
26. These are just some examples of a circular economy. Whilst not all ideas may be applicable to our context, they can spur us to imagine new possibilities. And we will require innovators to reimagine how our limited resources can be used and re-used.
Climate Change Adaptation
27. Finally, while we work on reducing our emissions, we must also be fully prepared for the effects of climate change.
28. As a low-lying island city state, we are especially vulnerable to sea-level rise. By the end of this century, mean sea levels may rise by up to 1 metre, more if there is a perfect storm literally.
29. So we must strengthen our climate defences.
30. We are enhancing our coastal and flood resilience, through innovative engineering methods that help us to overcome our land constraints. Every time we take off from Changi and look at Pulau Tekong, we see the polders being built. Likewise, multi-functional solutions, like the Marina Barrage and Alkaff Lake in the new Bidadari estate, provide recreational spaces while enhancing flood resilience.
31. We will also need to keep Singapore cool. We are piloting the use of cool paints, including in HDB estates, to absorb less heat and reduce ambient temperatures of buildings. Past trials have shown a possible reduction of ambient temperatures by up to 2 degrees Celsius.
32. There are immense opportunities in our transition to net-zero. But two enablers are key in getting us there.
Enablers in transitioning to net-zero
Finance
33. The first is financing. Although beneficial in the long-run, transitioning to a greener economy can be costly.
34. The financial sector can help with this. For instance, MAS’s Sustainable Bond Grant Scheme (SBGS) and Sustainable Loan Grant Scheme (SLGS) help our businesses defray the costs of conducting external reviews to ensure that the bonds and loans are credible. These schemes will be enhanced to include transition bonds and loans from June this year, encouraging firms to invest in green and transition assets.
People
35. The second enabler is more important: people. The demand for green skills is rising fast. Investors and consumers are also demanding that companies be sustainable; demonstrate it, not just talk about it.
36. Enterprise Singapore is encouraging firms and workers to build sustainability capabilities through programs like the Enterprise Sustainability Programme (ESP).
37. Workers are also being supported in both reskilling and upskilling for new as well as transformed jobs in the green economy, with the establishment of a Green Skills Committee to develop training programs.
38. Let me conclude. It is clear that close collaboration between the public, private and people sectors is urgently needed to mitigate emissions and adapt for climate change.
39. Singapore is well-placed to support these efforts. For instance, we can serve as a living lab for innovative technologies, especially in the tropics, to be test-bedded and possibly exported.
40. We look forward to continued partnership with all stakeholders to push boundaries.
41. On that note, I look forward to Mr Lim Tuan Liang’s presentation, to provoke more discussions, and we hope that engineers step forward to help us transit to this net-zero world, for the sake of our future generation.
. . . . .