Critical Reflection

In my self-introductory letter I wrote in the first few weeks of this module, I mentioned that my weakness in my communication skills is that I often find difficulty in either explaining my thoughts and feelings in words, or by expressing them in the wrong manner. That is why at the beginning of my effective communication module, I set a few objectives for myself. They were to improve on my critical thinking and reflective thinking skills, such that I am able to convey my thoughts and feelings to others better. Throughout these three months, I learned many different frameworks and models that enabled me to channel my thoughts in a more systematic and productive way. This honed my verbal communication skills as I was able to put across my thoughts and intentions clearly to my peers. Not only did my verbal communication skills improve, I was also able to refine my writing skills, and I implemented elements of these frameworks to the many aspects of writing this module had. 

Today marks the last day of this module, and if you were to ask me if I have met my objectives, I would say that I am still in the process of learning. There is no limit to mastering the art of thinking and I plan to continuously improve on my critical and reflective thinking skills. This module has undoubtedly given me guidance and boosted me in the right direction to further improve my communication skills. To hone these skills, I plan to consistently implement the frameworks that were taught in this module, such as the Paul-Elder Framework and the Dewey's Model of Reflective Thought and Action, in my daily life. I also plan to continuously reflect on how I communicate to others and reevaluate my ideas and thoughts through rationale reasoning.

One aspect from this module that I learned a great deal from was the formal presentation where we had to pitch our proposal. Before this module, I had never presented a pitch before. Convincing others to implement our proposal seemed like a complex task at first. "Sell the idea", was what I constantly found myself telling when I practiced my pitch. However, what I came to realise was that in all my previous presentations, I was selling something. Whether its an idea, a product, or even yourself, all presentations require us to sell. Understanding this, when I practiced my pitch to my peers, everything felt simpler. I used my prior experiences in presenting and felt confident as I was able to formulate my thoughts, and articulate my words well. In addition, the constructive feedback I received from my peers helped me to enhance my pitch. This changed my view of understanding a difficult concept as I learned to use the knowledge from my peers as well as my past experiences, that were related to the situation, to help solve any problems. I also learned how to be aware of and control our learning by actively participating in reflective thinking.

All in all, I am grateful for this module as it changed how I think and overcome a problem. I will be holding on to these skills that I learned dearly and continue developing them to eventually achieve my objective of improving my critical thinking and reflective thinking skills, such that I am able to convey my thoughts and feelings to others better. Last but not least, thank you, professor Brad, for your guidance and the fun and engaging lessons.

(582 words)
Read: Thomas, Justin

Updated: 9 April 2022

Word of the Month - April

Elucidate

Definition - to make something that is hard to understand clear or easy to understand.

In a sentence - Justin would go the extra mile to try and elucidate his intentions.

Summary Reader's Response - Draft #4

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 promote 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 further stated 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 then stated that implementing such methods is not cost efficient and will not meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Instead, Ha cited Wong, the Group Chief Executive of utilities company Singapore Power, who stated that "balancing energy consumption rates" is more critical than creating a new energy source to suit our current lifestyle. To support this claim, Ha cited the Ecosperity report and stated that it would be more beneficial for SEA if "energy conservation methods were emphasised more while accommodating growing economic needs". Ha further mentioned the report stating that energy demand in SEA is expected to rise by nearly two-thirds by 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 and with the lack of natural resources, Singapore imports almost all its energy needs. 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. The lack of natural resources causes Singapore to rely heavily on importing its energy needs as not all renewable energy sources are viable in Singapore. For instance, the average wind speed in Singapore is only 2 m/s while commercial wind turbines can only operate efficiently at wind speeds of roughly 4.5 m/s (Singapore Climate Change Secretariat, 2022). Additionally, 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 through the use of solar photovoltaic systems (PV) is feasible in Singapore. It has already been implemented in the country but inadequately, as only 2.8% of the country's energy comes from solar PVs (Energy Market Authority, 2022).

Singapore's security can be considerably enhanced with the implementation and usage of solar energy. Singapore had 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-folds by 2030. This increase will generate enough energy to power roughly 350 thousand households in Singapore (Singapore Green Plan, 2022). Harnessing solar energy to produce electricity requires no importation of fuels, which strengthens Singapore's energy security. Furthermore, the deployment of this renewable energy will be viable 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 and the utilization of solar PVs will help to reduce the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity, especially during peak demand. This is because peak demand for electricity occurs when there is the most output of solar energy for solar PVs to harness (Energy Market Authority, 2020). This significantly supports lowering the use of fossil fuels as solar PVs operate most efficiently 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. It is clearly an effective and desirable method to reduce the reliance on burning fossil fuels for energy.

While solar energy is a practical approach to providing sustainable and renewable energy, there are some drawbacks that impact its feasibility. The most apparent issue with deploying this method in Singapore would be the country's space limitations. Singapore, as mentioned, has a limited amount of land. Therefore, configurations must be done in certain arrays in order for solar PVs to function well, causing extra costs and delays in installation (Lai, 2021). With solar PVs high installation costs and long payback period, it begs the question of whether it is worth the long-term investment for the country. However, while the initial costs are high, the use of solar PVs is financially feasible for Singapore and will greatly reduce the country's reliance on burning fossil fuels for energy.

In conclusion, harnessing solar energy is imperative to reducing Singapore's reliance on burning fossil fuels for energy. The implementation of solar PVs is undoubtedly feasible, viable and desirable, making it the best solution to enhance Singapore's sustainability and security.

(822 words)

Last edited: 8 April 2022

References

Energy Market Authority. (2022). Singapore Energy Statistics | Energy Transformation 

https://www.ema.gov.sg/singapore-energy-statistics/Ch02/index2

Energy Market Authority. (2020). Solar Photovoltaic Systems.

https://www.ema.gov.sg/Solar_Photovoltaic_Systems.aspx

  

Lai, L. (2021, May 5). Solar Energy Pros & Cons: What You Need To Know. 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. 

Letcher, T. M. (2018). Why Solar Energy?. In A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Energy 

Systems (pp. 3-16). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-811479-7.00001-4 

Lin, Suling. (2021, January 8). Commentary: Beyond scarcity and security, does 

Singapore need a new water narrative? Channel News Asia. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/singapore-water-security-malaysia-conservation-new-narrative-896776  

Singapore Climate Change Secretariat. (2022). Singapore’s Approach To Alternative 

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.

https://www.greenplan.gov.sg/key-focus-areas/key-targets#city-in-nature