In the article “How can Southeast Asia’s clean energy transition be sped up?”, Ha (2019) wrote on experts who addressed how Southeast Asia (SEA) should implement various methods to beget green energy production. According to Ha, Moniz, who is the Chief Executive of the Energy Futures and Nuclear Threat Initiative, stated that deploying an array of "low-carbon technologies and solutions" in SEA is vital to reducing emissions. Moniz also mentioned that Singapore is inapt for the usage of solar and wind power due to having limited natural resources and space and may reap more from nuclear fusion or hydrogen power. Ha also says that implementing such methods is not cost efficient to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Ha also mentioned that Wong, the Group Chief Executive of utilities company Singapore Power, believes that balancing energy consumption rates is more critical than creating a new energy source to suit our current lifestyle. Instead, Ha mentions the Ecosperity report, in which it would be more beneficial for SEA if energy conservation methods were emphasised more while accommodating growing economic needs. Ha further mentions the report stating that energy demand in SEA is set to "increase by nearly two-thirds until 2040". With this significant increase in energy consumption, I believe that the best solution to reduce Singapore's reliance on burning fossil fuels for energy is by harnessing solar energy.
Singapore is a small and resource constrained country. Therefore, Singapore imports almost all its energy needs and has limited renewable and sustainable energy options. According to the Energy Market Authority of Singapore (2022), Singapore produced 95% of its energy through the use of imported natural gas, a type of fossil fuel, in the first-half of 2021. With land scarcity and the lack of natural resources, Singapore faces additional difficulty as not all renewable energy sources are viable. For instance, commercial wind turbines operate at roughly 4.5 m/s whereas the average wind speed in Singapore is only 2 m/s (Singapore Climate Change Secretariat, 2022). Furthermore, Singapore does not have a fast-flowing river or strong tidal and wave power to produce hydroelectric power. On the other hand, harnessing solar energy is operationally and financially feasible in Singapore. It has already been implemented but inadequately, as only 2.8% of the country's energy comes from solar photovoltaic systems (PV) (Energy Market Authority, 2022).
Singapore's security can be considerably enhanced with the implementation and usage of solar energy. Singapore has faced several issues with the importation of much-needed resources in the past (Lin, 2021), and achieving self-sustainability has always been vital to the country. The Singapore Green Plan 2030 was implemented to set targets to achieve this goal. One of the country's goals is to increase solar energy deployment by five-fold by 2030. This will generate enough energy to power roughly 350 thousand households (Singapore Green Plan, 2022). Solar energy requires no import of fuels, which strengthens Singapore's energy security. Furthermore, the deployment of this renewable energy will be very efficient as the technology has already been used and tested in the nation, unlike other forms of renewable energy sources such as nuclear power.
Singapore consumes most of its energy during the day, so the utilization of solar PV will help to reduce the use of fossil fuels, especially during peak demand. This is because peak demand occurs where there is most output of solar energy (Energy Market Authority, 2020). This significantly supports lowering the use of fossil fuels, which is detrimental to the environment, during the time when these fuels are used and needed the most. Unlike the use of fossil fuels, solar PVs produce zero-emissions when operating, and is clearly an effective method to reduce carbon emissions and ensure sustainability.
In conclusion, the implementation and use of solar energy is imperative to Singapore's security and impact on climate change. Although the country faces constraints that greatly impact the solution to this problem, it is necessary that Singapore reduces its use and reliance on burning fossil fuels for energy. And the most efficient method is through the use of solar PV systems.
(794 words)
References:
https://www.ema.gov.sg/Solar_Photovoltaic_Systems.aspx
iSwitch. https://iswitch.com.sg/solar-energy-pros-cons/#:%7E:text=Disadvantage%20%231%3A%20High%20Initial%20Investment%20%26%20Payback%20Period&text=While%20solar%20panel%20prices%20are,you%20hit%20the%20payback%20period.
Systems (pp. 3-16). Academic Press.
Lin, Suling. (2021, January 8). Commentary: Beyond scarcity and security, does
Singapore need a new water narrative? https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/singapore-water-security-malaysia-conservation-new-narrative-896776
Energy. https://www.nccs.gov.sg/singapores-climate-action/singapore-approach-to-alternative-energy/#:%7E:text=As%20a%20small%2C%20resource%2Dconstrained,has%20limited%20renewable%20energy%20options%3A&text=Hydroelectric%20power%20cannot%20be%20harnessed,not%20have%20geothermal%20energy%20sources.
Singapore Green Plan. (2022). Singapore Green Plan 2030 Key Targets. SG Green
Plan. https://www.greenplan.gov.sg/key-focus-areas/key-targets#city-in-nature