The Singapore Engineer February 2020

THE MAGAZINE OF THE INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS, SINGAPORE

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

www.ies.org.sg

February 2020 | MCI (P) 004/03/2020

COVER STORY: HDB increases solar target and launches Fifth SolarNova Tender

PLUS

RENEWABLE ENERGY: Commercial development to pursue sustainable ini a ves to reduce carbon emissions ENERGY ENGINEERING: The future of Singapore’s Energy Story ENVIRONMENT & WATER ENGINEERING: Na onal Environment Agency wins interna onal engineering award

I BUILD ON EXPERIENCE I see the possibilities my career can bring. Because a career in the built environment is one that can create direct yet far-reaching impact. At BCA, my work on policy measures help to drive change in the built environment sector and make a positive difference.

We constantly shape the landscape to prepare for the future of Singapore, rally the built environment sector to achieve farreaching goals beyond today, and improve the living environment for Singaporeans from all walks of life. Be part of this transformation, and join us for a fun and meaningful career.

Find out more about our career opportunities at www.bca.gov.sg

Lim Yong Xian Senior Engineer

CONTENTS FEATURES COVER STORY

16 HDB increases solar target and launches fi h SolarNova tender Reinforcing the commitment to increase clean energy genera on.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

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19 Commercial development to pursue sustainable ini a ves to reduce carbon emissions It will use renewable energy to power all its opera ons.

22 Mass produc on of Alpha Series solar modules commences in Singapore They will be able to generate more power than conven onal panels over the same area.

24 European Solar Prize awarded in eight categories Renewable energy pioneers recognised for innova ve projects and ini a ves.

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ENERGY ENGINEERING 29 The future of Singapore’s Energy Story U lising ‘4 Switches’, energy efficiency and the power of co-crea on, to create a sustainable energy future.

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President Prof Yeoh Lean Weng Chief Editor T Bhaskaran t_b_n8@yahoo.com

Publica ons Manager Desmond Teo desmond@iesnet.org.sg Publica ons Execu ve Queek Jiayu jiayu@iesnet.org.sg

Editorial Panel Dr Chandra Segaran Prof Simon Yu Dr Ang Keng Been Mr Gary Chiam Dr Victor Sim Mr Syafiq Shahul Dr Alexander Wiegand Media Representa ve Mul Nine Corpora on Pte Ltd sales@mul 9.com.sg

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Design & layout by 2EZ Asia Pte Ltd Cover designed by Irin Kuah Cover image by HDB Published by The Ins tu on of Engineers, Singapore 70 Bukit Tinggi Road, Singapore 289758 Tel: 6469 5000 I Fax: 6467 1108 Printed in Singapore

www.ies.org.sg

PROJECT APPLICATION 32 Helping the City of Davos to realise its own green objec ves Upgrading the ligh ng to LEDs underlined the possibili es of sustainable prac ces to world leaders.

34 Chiller plant retrofit helps Malaysia’s mega complex cut annual energy and opera onal costs Rising u li es costs and sustainability issues were key drivers behind the decision to overhaul the original cooling system.

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DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES 37 Ar ficial Intelligence transforms engineering Harnessing the power of compu ng, Big Data and advanced algorithms, Ar ficial Intelligence presents new possibili es for today’s engineers.

ENVIRONMENT & WATER ENGINEERING

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40 Na onal Environment Agency wins interna onal engineering award The award honours Singapore’s Semakau Landfill where nature and landfilling opera ons co-exist.

REGULAR SECTIONS 04 15 42 46

INDUSTRY NEWS EVENTS PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS IES UPDATE

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The Singapore Engineer is published monthly by The Ins tu on of Engineers, Singapore (IES). The publica on is distributed free-of-charge to IES members and affiliates. Views expressed in this publica on do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or IES. All rights reserved.

No part of this magazine shall be reproduced, mechanically or electronically, without the prior consent of IES. Whilst every care is taken to ensure accuracy of the content at press me, IES will not be liable for any discrepancies. Unsolicited contribu ons are welcome but their inclusion in the magazine is at the discre on of the Editor.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

SURBANA JURONG ESTABLISHES NEW FIRE SAFETY CONSULTANCY UNIT Surbana Jurong, one of the largest global urban, infrastructure and managed services consultancies based in Asia, has established a Fire Safety Consultancy unit to augment its multidisciplinary core capabilities, in light of recent regulatory changes in fire safety legislation and major fire incidents worldwide. The unit will offer solutions on fire safety as well as help strengthen the regulatory compliance of commercial, industrial and residential projects, and hence contribute to a safe and secure built environment globally. This will further add to Surbana Jurong’s efforts in making sustainability a core delivery objective for all its projects globally.

Fire safety plays an integral role in a constantly evolving built environment, where buildings and infrastructure become increasingly complex and sophisticated. For instance, large-scale, integrated, mixed-use developments and deep underground infrastructure, rail networks and roads are developed to meet today’s societal needs and optimise land use. With such a complex urban landscape, customised fire safety solutions, involving the use of fire engineering, advanced modelling and computational tools, are necessary.

Considering the global trend of ageing populations, it is also important to ensure that future buildings are fire-proofed for the elderly. In Singapore, it is estimated that one in four Singaporeans will be aged 65 and above by 2030. Hence, the new Fire Safety Consultancy unit will explore innovative approaches to design fire-safe homes, where evacuation is not required in the event of a fire, as well as the use of materials which are fire-retardant.

It will also be relevant to building owners when the new amendments to the Singapore Fire Safety Act kick in this year. Under the new amendments, buildings identified for mandatory upgrading will be required to install critical fire safety provisions. This applies to older and existing buildings which have not met fire safety measures as stipulated in the prevailing Fire Code. The Fire Safety Consultancy unit will be able to help building owners identify and address these gaps while balancing the costs of implementing them.

Mr Wong Heang Fine, Group Chief Executive Officer, Surbana Jurong, said, “With the new capability in fire safety consultancy, we are able to offer solutions to fire-proof buildings and create safe and sustainable spaces where communities can live, work and play.

Often, our clients tend to involve the fire safety experts at the late stages of the development, with dire consequences. With the new fire safety engineering expertise, we are able to mitigate fire safety risks and ensure more pragmatic and calibrated regulatory compliance of our projects globally”.

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Mr Wong Heang Fine

Mr Christopher Tan

He added, “We believe that technology is an enabler of productivity and growth. Hence, we will explore how we can harness our digital capabilities to fully exploit the potential of our fire engineering expertise and help our clients better assess how their buildings can be protected against fire”.

Mr Christopher Tan, as Managing Director, will helm the new Fire Safety Consultancy unit within Surbana Jurong. Mr Tan was formerly Senior Assistant Commissioner and Director of the Fire Safety & Shelter Department at Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

Mr Tan has over three decades of experience in fire safety governance and design, emergency planning and incident command.

“I look forward to leveraging my expertise and contribute towards Surbana Jurong’s value proposition to deliver comprehensive and integrated suites of professional services to our clients and partners”, said Mr Tan.

INDUSTRY NEWS

GRUNDFOS INAUGURATES

DIGITAL LAB IN SINGAPORE Global pump manufacturer Grundfos recently inaugurated its digital lab in Singapore, the first of its kind by the industry leader in the Asia-Pacific region, as a strategic ini a ve to drive greater adop on of intelligent water solu ons in the region.

The lab showcases Grundfos’ range of iSOLUTIONS products which leverage intelligent technology to deliver op mal performance, greater energy efficiency and reliability. These products are used for a wide range of applica ons across different sectors - from water distribu on and wastewater treatment by water u li es, pressure boos ng and hea ng, ven la on and air condi oning in commercial buildings, to industrial applica ons such as washing, cleaning and industrial cooling.

Key solu ons showcased include the Grundfos SMART Digital XL DDA and DDE dosing pumps which enable accurate chemical dosing across numerous produc on processes including drinking water, wastewater treatment, and industrial processing - reducing chemical consump on by 5% to 19%. The lab also demonstrates the Grundfos Remote Management, a secure, internetbased system which intelligently monitors and manages water flows in pump installa ons through the interconnec vity of pumps, sensors and meters.

iSOLUTIONS. The new lab will make iSOLUTIONS training much more accessible for Grundfos employees in the region, providing them with a ready avenue to develop the necessary digital skills.

“With our pumps being such an important part of cri cal water infrastructure across the region, it is impera ve that not only are we offering the most cu ng-edge and intui ve solu ons with the highest levels of performance, our employees are also equipped with the necessary skillsets to develop and service these products”, Mr Jensen added.

Grundfos Grundfos is a global leader in advanced pump solu ons and a trendse er in water technologies. The company contributes to global sustainability by pioneering technologies that improve quality of life for people and care for the planet. Grundfos is also one of the world’s leading pump manufacturers with an annual produc on of more than 17 million pump units. The company provides energyefficient pumps and smart pumping solu ons for various applica ons across diverse segments including domes c and commercial buildings, industries and water u li es (water and wastewater management). Grundfos also offers pumps running on renewable energy.

Mr Kim Jensen, Group Senior Vice President & Regional Managing Director, Grundfos Asia Pacific region, said that establishing a dedicated lab in the region is a demonstra on of the company’s confidence in AsiaPacific’s digitalisa on poten al, as well as recogni on of Singapore as the hub for this digital transforma on, thanks to its Smart Na on ambi ons.

Asia-Pacific is poised for digital growth. By 2021, approximately 60% of the region’s GDP will come from products and services created through digital transforma on.

Through the lab, Grundfos seeks to demonstrate the value of intelligent pump solu ons, with the aim of driving greater uptake among its wide customer base which ranges from u li es and government agencies to property owners and major industries.

Mr Jensen said, “Pumps do not exist in isola on. We believe that the key to maximum efficiency is op mising not only the pumps but the en re pump system.

The iSOLUTIONS range aims to op mise energy and water efficiency across the en re system by leveraging connec vity, intelligent monitoring and commissioning wizards. Through our iSOLUTIONS por olio, we have successfully delivered significant energy savings for our customers, whilst at the same me driving significant cost savings with op mised performance”.

The iSOLUTIONS lab will also play the role of a training facility for Grundfos partners and employees across sales, service, and produc on, to familiarise them with 06

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER February 2020

Grundfos’ new iSOLUTIONS lab in Singapore is the first such facility opened by the company in the Asia Pacific region.

From right, Mr Kim Jensen, Group Senior Vice President & Regional Managing Director, Grundfos Asia Pacific Region, and Mr Tan Chee Meng, Regional Product Por olio Director and Regional Business Director, Water U lity, Asia Pacific, Grundfos, officially launch the Grundfos iSOLUTIONS lab.

INDUSTRY NEWS

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC PARTNERS SP GROUP

TO POWER SERVICE VEHICLES IN SINGAPORE Schneider Electric (SE) and SP Group have announced a partnership to fully electrify SE’s service fleet in Singapore. The agreement enables the French company’s service vehicles access to SP’s na onwide network of electric vehicle (EV) charging points, with full support for at least the next two years.

green and s ll serve our customers efficiently.”

Currently, SE has a total service fleet size of 25. It intends to convert 10 of its vehicles into EVs by June 2020 and fully electrify its fleet by 2021.

SP had earlier signed partnerships with Grab and HDT Singapore Taxi (HDT) to support the charging needs of their EV fleets. SE is the first corporate partner outside of the public transport sector to be using SP’s na onwide EV charging network. According to SP, this “represents a growing trend of companies in Singapore electrifying their internal fleets to achieve environmental sustainability and cost savings”.

Mr Damien Dhellemmes, Country President of Schneider Electric Singapore, said: “Going green is a deliberate decision. A er greening our regional headquarters in Singapore, our next step is to electrify our fleet. This is only possible if we have an accessible and wide enough charging network so that our service vehicles can be

The energy u li es provider currently operates Singapore’s largest and fastest public EV charging network with more than 200 charging points across the island. It is targe ng 1,000 EV charging points by end of 2020, of which 250 will be high-speed DC (direct current) chargers that can deliver a full charge in 30 minutes.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

XYLEM EXPANDS REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS IN SINGAPORE WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY HUB Xylem, a leading global water technology company dedicated to solving the world’s most challenging water issues, recently launched a new multi-disciplinary centre for water, wastewater and energy technologies, at the company’s regional headquarters in Singapore.

Located at ICON@IBP, the expanded headquarters brings the company’s regional R&D capability into a new Xylem Technology Hub Singapore (XTHS), alongside its regional leadership and personnel. The XTHS represents Xylem’s continued investment in sustainable water technologies, and research at the new centre will focus on developing breakthrough technologies in water distribution and water and wastewater treatment.

One of the first projects Xylem is pursuing at the centre is a collaboration with A*STAR’s Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC). Xylem will combine its world-leading expertise in water technologies with IHPC’s expertise in computer modelling and simulation.

Together, they will evaluate fluid-structure interaction in pipe flow to develop a new computational fluid dynamics model tailored for Xylem’s applications such as SmartBall and PipeDiver. The model will then be applied to the design and testing of other advanced products and solutions to be deployed in treatment plants and water distribution networks.

“This new multi-disciplinary centre will create ample opportunities to innovate and collaborate with our customers, as we work with them to tackle the region’s greatest water challenges, including water scarcity, affordability and infrastructure resilience”, said Mr Patrick Decker, President and CEO, Xylem.

“Bringing research and development capability into our regional headquarters in Singapore puts all of Xylem’s market-leading technology capability in one location, focused on the region’s water technology and infrastructure solutions”, he added.

At the opening of Xylem’s expanded regional headquarters in Singapore are, from le to right, Lim Tse Yong, Director, Capital Goods, Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB); Ng Joo Hee, Chief Execu ve, PUB; Patrick Decker, President and CEO, Xylem Inc; and Prof Reginald Tan, Execu ve Director, Science Engineering Research Council, A*STAR.

Xylem will work with A*STAR’s Ins tute of High Performance Compu ng (IHPC) to develop a new computa onal modelling and simula ons. In the picture are, from le to right, Koh Chong Hin, Managing Director, Southeast Asia, Xylem Inc; Steven Leung, Senior Vice President and President, Emerging Markets, Xylem Inc; Prof Reginald Tan, Execu ve Director, Science Engineering Research Council, A*STAR; and Dr Lim Keng Hui, Execu ve Director, Ins tute of High Performance Compu ng (IHPC), A*STAR.

“We are glad that Xylem has decided to set up its regional headquarters in Singapore, to be plugged into the robust R&D ecosystem here. A*STAR is happy to contribute its deep capabilities in modelling and simulation for sustainable water technologies, that will lead to good societal outcomes for Singapore and the region”, said Dr Lim Keng Hui, Executive Director, IHPC. In addition to the research and development hub, Xylem’s new office will feature a customer experience centre and a training centre, bringing together all of Xylem’s sales, customer support and technical capabilities for Southeast Asia.

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Xylem con nues to work with PUB on the development and implementa on of technologies in common areas of interest. In the picture are, from le to right, Steven Leung, Senior Vice President and President, Emerging Markets, Xylem Inc; Patrick Decker, President and CEO, Xylem Inc; Ng Joo Hee, Chief Execu ve, PUB; and Ridzuan Ismail, Director, Water Supply Network, PUB.

INDUSTRY NEWS

“We are excited about the energy and innovation that is possible when we focus our resources, talent and technologies in one centre like this. This new integrated facility will offer our customers and partners an immersive technology experience, as well as a state-of-the-art training centre. Singapore’s water sector con nues to grow and innovate, so this is a great loca on to work together on solving the region’s water challenges”, said Mr Decker.

Work at the centre will also be supported by Xylem’s ongoing partnership with PUB, Singapore’s Na onal Water Agency, to address challenges brought about by climate change and increasing water demand. Xylem con nues to work with PUB on the development and implementaon of technologies in common areas of interest, such as high-precision leak detec on and condi on assessment technologies, and the use of data analy cs to pinpoint water losses.

“Singapore is an interna onally recognised model city for integrated water management and a thriving global hydrohub because of our strong belief in R&D and con nuous innova on to tackle current and future water challenges. We are happy to work with Xylem to develop novel water solu ons to enable IoT and data analy cs to enhance our water network management. For instance, with predic ve maintenance, we can achieve be er resource op misa on and extend asset life of the infra-

structures, thereby reducing water loss and strengthening the resilience of our water supply”, said Mr Ridzuan Ismail, Director, Water Supply Network, PUB. “We are delighted with Xylem’s expansion in Singapore, including the se ng up of its new technology hub. This is testament to Singapore’s con nued a rac veness as a loca on for companies to innovate and forge collabora ons in developing solu ons to meet the region’s needs. We look forward to the exci ng technologies and solu ons that Xylem will create in partnership with our innova on ecosystem”, said Mr Lim Tse Yong, Director, Capital Goods, Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).

Xylem first entered the Singapore market in 1982 and has since grown and expanded its facilities. The expertise located in Xylem’s new Singapore office is focused on bringing new technologies to the region, such as the Advanced Infrastructure Analytics (AIA) platform, the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (which has more than 12 million water end-points and 14 million combination-utility end-points globally), and a powerful portfolio of digital solutions to optimise water networks.

All images by Xylem Inc

Strategies for achieving net-zero emissions Investors con nue to adopt new targets and strategies for pursuing net-zero emissions by 2050 and inves ng in climate solu ons, according to a new report released by the Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC).

products and repor ng on the outcomes of their climate change investment strategies. This includes working through the very real challenges of se ng net-zero targets for a whole por olio or specific asset classes, and for developing delivery strategies.

The new report ‘Zero Emissions/Sustainable Returns’ is a prac cal guide for investors on strategies for pursuing net-zero emissions por olios while ensuring sustainable returns.

“Achieving this will not be easy, but it is essen al if we are to hold global warming to less than 2° C and move towards a goal of 1.5° C”, Ms Herd said.

The report details current investor thinking, realworld examples of how investors are transi oning to net-zero emissions and the overall state of play in investor prac ce. It is intended to support investor ambi on and accelerate prac cal ac on on se ng net-zero investment strategies.

IGCC will con nue to support the growing appe te among ins tu onal investors for climate-aligned investments, and to work with its members to develop investable solu ons to facilitate the transi on to a resilient, net-zero emissions economy by mid-century.

“The need to move to net-zero emissions by 2050 to achieve the Paris Agreement goals is now widely acknowledged. We are seeing more governments, companies and investors se ng targets to achieve net-zero by 2050 or sooner”, said Emma Herd, Chief Execu ve Officer, IGCC.

The Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC) is a collabora on of Australian and New Zealand ins tu onal investors and advisors, with assets under management and focusing on the impact that climate change has on the financial value of investments. IGCC aims to encourage government policies and investment prac ces that address the risks and opportuni es in climate change.

The report sets out recent examples of ins tu onal investors who are se ng targets, developing

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INDUSTRY NEWS

MIT STUDY ACKNOWLEDGES IMPORTANCE OF MEASURING AND MITIGATING METHANE LEAKAGE IN TRANSITION TO CLEAN ENERGY A new MIT study examines the opposing roles of natural gas in the ba le against climate change – both as a bridge toward a lower-emissions future and a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

Natural gas, which is mostly methane, is viewed as a significant “bridge fuel” to help the world move away from the greenhouse gas emissions of fossil fuels, since burning natural gas for electricity produces about half as much carbon dioxide as burning coal.

However, it is itself a potent greenhouse gas, and can leak from produc on wells, storage tanks, pipelines, and urban distribu on pipes. Increasing its usage will also increase the poten al for such “fugi ve” methane emissions, although there is great uncertainty about how much to expect.

Recent studies have documented the difficulty in even measuring today’s emissions levels. This uncertainty adds to the difficulty of assessing natural gas’ role as a bridge to a net-zero-carbon energy system, and in knowing when to transi on away from it.

This inspired MIT researchers to quan fy melines for cleaning up natural gas infrastructure in the United States or accelera ng a shi away from it, while recognising the uncertainty about fugi ve methane emissions.

The study shows that in order for natural gas to be a major component of the na on’s effort to meet greenhouse gas reduc on targets over the coming decade, present methods of controlling methane leakage would have to improve by anywhere from 30 to 90 per cent.

The study also finds policies that favour moving directly to carbon-free power sources, such as wind, solar, and nuclear, could meet the emissions targets without requiring such improvements in leakage mi ga on, even though natural gas use would s ll be a significant part of the energy mix.

Some of this happens right at the wells, some occurs during processing and from storage tanks, and some is from the distribu on system. Thus, a variety of different kinds of monitoring systems and mi ga on measures may be needed to address the different condi ons.

Much a en on has focused on so-called “superemi ers,” but even these can be difficult to track down. Dr Klemun pointed out that a small frac on of point sources contributed dispropor onately to overall emissions in many data sets.

In order to come up with targeted detec on and repair programmes, addi onal data with high spa al resolu on, covering wide areas and many segments of the supply chain would be needed.

The researchers looked at the whole range of uncertain es, from how much methane is escaping to how to characterise its climate impacts, under a variety of different scenarios. One approach placed strong emphasis on replacing coal-fired plants with natural gas, for example; others increased investment in zero-carbon sources while s ll maintaining a role for natural gas.

The best choices and exact melines are likely to vary depending on local circumstances, but the study frames the issue by examining a variety of possibili es that include the extremes in both direc ons — that is, toward inves ng mostly in improving the natural gas infrastructure while expanding its use, or accelera ng a move away from it.

“A certain amount of investment probably makes sense to improve and make use of current infrastructure, but if you’re interested in really deep reduc on targets, our results make it harder to make a case for that expansion right now,” said Prof Trancik.

The researchers compared several different scenarios for curbing methane from the electric genera on system in order to meet a target for 2030 of a 32 per cent cut in carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions rela ve to 2005 levels.

The findings were published in the journal Environmental Research Le ers, in a paper by MIT post-doctoral researcher Magdalena Klemun and Associate Professor Jessika Trancik.

The actual leakage rates associated with the use of methane are widely distributed, highly variable, and very hard to pin down. Using figures from a variety of sources, the researchers found the overall range to be somewhere between 1.5 per cent and 4.9 per cent of the amount of gas produced and distributed.

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Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and it currently leaks from produc on wells, storage tanks, pipelines, and urban distribu on pipes for natural gas.

Photo: MIT

INDUSTRY NEWS

BARANGAROO SOUTH NAMED AUSTRALIA’S FIRST CARBON NEUTRAL PRECINCT The precinct of Barangaroo South, located in Sydney, is officially the first in Australia to be carbon neutral.

Lendlease, its developer, received the cer fica on awarded by the Australian Government in December 2019.

In its press statement, Lendlease noted that the buildings and infrastructure in the precinct were designed and delivered to contribute to and meet climate posi ve targets and carbon neutrality.

The basement, for example, services the en re precinct and is as large as one of the 42-storey office towers that sits above it. It includes a district cooling plant that saves approximately 40 Olympic-sized swimming pools of water every year, and a waste management system that can help divert over 5,400 tonnes of waste from the landfill.

To reduce carbon at Barangaroo South, Lendlease focused on three strategies: • Avoid – through be er building design, efficient infrastructure, and educa on and behavioural ini a ves.

• Reduce – implement on and off-site low carbon and renewable energy sources.

• Mi gate – purchasing or providing condi ons for carbon offsets to cover emissions.

In support of the carbon neutrality ini a ve, many of the 20,000 workers at the precinct have embraced sustainability ini a ves including reducing single use plas cs and products from food offerings in the precinct,

reducing disposable coffee cups and using compostable food packaging for takeaway.

There is also high demand for the precinct’s end of trip facili es, which are one of Sydney’s largest, and support for ac ve transport including cycling.

“We’ve been crea ng carbon neutral buildings Barangaroo South is Australia’s first carbonneutral precinct. Photo: Lendlease and places long before it became industry prac ce. Our approach to sustainability is a key differen ator for us and has helped us secure our pipeline projects around the world which is now approaching $100 billion.

“Without our strong partnership with the New South Wales government and the hard work and determina on of our people, this feat would never have been possible,” said Lendlease Group CEO and Managing Director, Mr Steve McCann.

Seoul city authori es hold challenge to seek innova ve solu ons for reducing subway dust The inaugural Seoul Global Challenge (SGC) 2019 – 2020, hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and organised by Seoul Business Agency (SBA), culminated with its awards ceremony on 6 Feb 2020.

Han-lyun System won in the train category through its use of air purifiers for trains combined with air curtains for train doors that removed fine par cles and let the purified air stay in train cars.

Seeking proposals on reducing fine dust levels in the Seoul Subway, the Challenge brought together 106 companies from Korea and other parts of the world, including the United States, France, and Japan, to compete in three categories: Tunnels, pla orms, and trains.

The category champions received KRW 50 million each.

All finalists would have their solu ons installed in the Seoul subway to test their effec veness in reducing fine dust levels.

The overall winner, Corning, received KRW 500 million (SGD 586,830) in prize money with its ceramic honeycomb filter-based solu on.

In the pla orm category, Allswell was named the winner with its airflow control technology solu on that improved air quality by op mising the exis ng ven la on system and effec vely removing fine dust par cles in the pla orm area.

“The Challenge will be a step toward a be er environment for Seoul ci zens with lower fine dust levels in the Seoul Subway system and we at the SBA will con nue to take the lead in solving urban problems facing Seoul by organizing the SGC under a variety of subjects.” Said Mr Kim Seong-min, Managing Director of the SBA’s Innova on Growth Division.

Online applica ons for SGC 2020 – 2021 will begin in April at www.seoul-tech.com/seoulglobalchallenge/eng

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INDUSTRY NEWS

NUS SCIENTISTS CREATE WORLD’S FIRST MONOLAYER AMORPHOUS FILM Researchers from NUS have synthesised the world’s first one-atom-thick amorphous material, which was previously thought to be impossible.

Known as monolayer amorphous carbon (MAC), this major research breakthrough was led by Professor Barbaros Özyilmaz, Head of the NUS Department of Materials Science and Engineering. The results were published in the pres gious scien fic journal Nature on 8 January 2020.

“Amorphous materials are of great technological importance, but surprisingly, they remain poorly understood from a basic science point of view. This breakthrough allows for direct imaging to reveal how atoms are arranged in amorphous materials, and could be of commercial value for ba eries, semiconductors, membranes and many more applica ons,” said Prof Özyilmaz.

These atomically-thin sheets of amorphous carbon are synthesised by using a laser vaporising a carboncontaining precursor gas into an atomically fine mist.

This turns the carbon precursors into highly reac ve, energe c species which immediately form a MAC film when they hit the surface of almost any substrate.

Despite having a disordered atomic structure, MAC is capable of some truly incredible behaviour. Dr Toh Chee Tat, the first author of the paper, said, “What is amazing about MAC is that it exhibits some proper es that are totally different from tradi onal monolayer materials.”

One such excep onal property is that MAC films can be ‘plas cally deformed’.

This means that they can be stretched into irregular shapes, and stay conformed to that posi on. There is no other single-layer material in existence that displays significant plas c deforma on.

can be grown on many different substrates including copper, gold and stainless steel.

“MAC is much more hardy and cheaper to make than conventional crystalline two-dimensional films.

The laser-assisted deposition process through which MAC is synthesised is already commonly used in industry. Hence, we can grow a large-area, defect-free, monolayer film on a wide variety of substrates with high throughput and at low temperature,” explained Prof Özyilmaz.

This makes MAC a poten al low-cost material to address industry needs, and for some applica ons, it may be an alterna ve to two-dimensional crystals such as graphene.

For example, ultrathin barrier films are sorely needed in many industries — for next-genera on magne c recording devices, copper interconnects, flexible displays, fuel cells, ba eries and other electronic devices.

However, the performance of conven onal amorphous thin films is poor when made very thin, and other atomicallythin films cannot be produced according to stringent industry standards without compromising their quali es.

“Our monolayer amorphous films not only achieve the ul mate thickness limit, but also do not compromise on uniformity and reliability, and are generally considered viable for industry,” said Prof Özyilmaz.

The research team will be studying the many possible applications of this material and will be collabora ng with industrial partners to accelerate its commercialisa on.

The fact that MAC behaves this way, compared to nanometre-thick crystalline materials which would easily snap when stretched, significantly expands the number of industrial applica ons it could be suitable for.

Holes can be punched into the material or it can be torn, and the film will retain its key proper es. Also, MAC 12

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER February 2020

Researchers at NUS Physics, CA2DM and Materials Science and Engineering have created the world’s first atomically thin amorphous carbon film. Due to the random arrangement of five-, six-, seven- and eight-carbon rings in a planar carbon network within it, there is a wide distribu on of bond lengths and bond angles. Image: NUS

INDUSTRY NEWS

SIEMENS GAMESA TO SUPPLY FLOATING

OFFSHORE WIND POWER PLANT The world’s largest floa ng wind power plant will be installed in Norway, equipped with 11 Siemens Gamesa SG 8.0-167 DD turbines. Scheduled to be commissioned in late 2022, Hywind Tampen will be the first ever floa ng wind power plant to power offshore oil and gas pla orms.

“We are pleased to have received the firm order from Equinor to be the supplier of this ground-breaking project.

Thanks to our strong collabora on and joint focus on innova on, we are now at the forefront of developing this exci ng technology and unlocking the vast poten al for floa ng offshore wind power”, said Andreas Nauen, CEO, Siemens Gamesa Offshore Business Unit.

Hywind Tampen will have a total capacity of 88 MW and will be located some 140 km from shore in an area with water depths of 260 m to 300 m, between the Snorre and Gullfaks oil and gas pla orms. Specifically, this wind power plant will be capable of mee ng about 35% of the annual power demand of the Snorre and Gullfaks pla orms.

By reducing the use of gas turbines on the fields, the project helps cut CO2 emissions by more than 200,000 tons per year.

The floa ng founda ons in the Hywind Tampen project are ballast-stabilised and anchored to the seabed with mooring lines. With their lightweight nacelles, Siemens Gamesa large direct drive wind turbines are par cularly suited for floa ng founda ons.

The partnership between Siemens Gamesa and Equinor dates back to 2009, when the world’s first full-scale floa ng wind turbine project, Hywind Demo, was

The floa ng power plant will be located some 140 km from shore, in an area with water depths of 260 m to 300 m.

successfully installed in Norway. This ini a ve was followed, in 2017, by the 30 MW Hywind Scotland floa ng wind power plant, currently the world’s largest, installed, at water depths between 90 m and 120 m.

Hywind Scotland is a hugely successful project which has world-class safety performance and the highest capacity factor of any offshore wind farm in the UK. The Hywind Tampen project con nues this partnership, with a giant leap forward in the area of industrial-scale floa ng wind power genera on.

Offshore wind already has a strong foothold in Europe, with close to 18.5 GW installed capacity, and global poten al to reach more than 100 GW by 2030. Of this, floa ng offshore wind is es mated to cons tute 10% of the market, poten ally powering 12 million homes in 2030.

Sembcorp to build Singapore’s largest floa ng solar farm Na onal water agency PUB has appointed Sembcorp Solar Singapore Pte Ltd to construct Singapore’s largest floa ng solar photovoltaic (PV) system on Tengeh Reservoir. With a solar capacity of 60 megawa -peak (MWp), it will be one of the world’s largest single floa ng solar PV systems, when completed in 2021.

PUB called for a Request for Proposal (RFP) on 6 June 2019, from private sector companies to design, build, own and operate (DBOO) a large-scale floa ng PV system (at least 50 MWp in capacity) for 25 years on Tengeh Reservoir. The RFP a racted bids from four local and overseas companies.

Sembcorp Solar Singapore has proposed the use of highly efficient PV modules and op mised layout to maximise energy genera on within the specified area. At 60 MWp, the floa ng solar farm on Tengeh

reservoir is expected to generate enough energy to power about 16,000 four-room HDB flats, and reduce around 32 kilotonnes carbon emissions annually.

PUB will use the green energy produced to power its water treatment processes, thus reducing its carbon footprint. Occupying an area the equivalent of about 45 football fields, the system can produce enough electricity to meet 7% of PUB’s total energy needs.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Sembcorp U li es Pte Ltd, Sembcorp Solar Singapore is an experienced solar player with 240 MWp of contracted solar projects across more than 1,500 sites. This is the second DBOO project in which PUB has collaborated with Sembcorp - the first being the Sembcorp Changi NEWater Plant which opened in 2010.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

PROMOTES PANKAJ SHARMA Schneider Electric, a leader in digital transforma on of energy management and automa on, has promoted Pankaj Sharma to succeed Dave Johnson as Execu ve Vice President of its Secure Power Division, effec ve 1 January 2020.

Mr Sharma, who was Senior Vice President, Home & Business Networks, Schneider Electric, has held leadership roles in the company Including in commercial, strategy, marke ng, mergers and acquisi ons, and line of business. In his most recent role, he has led Schneider Electric’s strategy to help customers and partners address the disrup ve trend of edge compu ng.

“Pankaj is well prepared to take this challenge as he has been working successfully in the Secure Power business for the last 19 years, living in various parts of the world”, said Philippe Delorme, Execu ve Vice President, Energy Management, Schneider Electric.

“I congratulate him, and I thank Dave Johnson for his outstanding legacy. For 27 years, Dave has been dedicated to the success of APC ini ally, then Schneider Electric, in the Secure Power space. A pillar in our company, Dave has pushed a customer-first approach and a dare-to-disrupt a tude to keep reinven ng a business that has gone through many transforma ons”, he added.

With his extensive exper se, Mr Johnson will support the Secure Power leadership team transi on Mr Pankaj Sharma in 2020, con nuing as an employee of Schneider Electric, and then as an independent consultant.

“Resilient systems in the cloud and at the edge are a key enabler of the all digital, all electric world. It is an honour to take over the helm for the Secure Power Division during this cri cal me. In my new role, I will con nue to advance our mission to ensure life is on in the digital world and that we are helping to build a sustainable future for our planet”, said Mr Sharma.

Under Johnson’s leadership, Secure Power has been a high-performing and industry-leading division, providing complete physical infrastructure solu ons for data centres, distributed IT environments, and industrial applica ons.

Johnson has led global func ons including strategy, commercial opera ons, marke ng, R&D, supply chain, finance, and human resources.

He managed teams across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas, driving overall growth and profitability.

Preven ng power failures at South Korean energy storage facili es DNV GL, a global quality assurance and risk management company, recently completed an in-depth power failure inves ga on (PFI) into a major fire at a large-scale South Korean energy storage facility.

Korea is emerging as one of the fastest growing markets for energy storage systems in the world. However, in recent years, it has suffered a number of high-profile failures and fires at energy storage facili es, which have prompted the government to launch a review and upgrade of the country’s safety regula ons for energy storage facili es.

A er one such major fire at a large energy storage facility, DNV GL was contracted by the site’s insurer to carry out an independent inves ga on of the power failure to determine the underlying root cause of the failure and any contribu ng factors.

Now completed, the inves ga on allowed the insurer to make an evidence-based pay-out decision. In addi on to pinpoin ng the minor manufacturing glitch that ini ated the failure, the power failure inves ga on found that insufficient monitoring and protec on systems allowed the failure to escalate into a major fire.

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“Our in-depth and independent analysis of the incident highlighted differences between South Korean and interna onal safety standards, that can poten ally make small failures more likely. The South Korean government is already in the process of reviewing its regula ons, but we strongly recommend that South Korean energy storage systems project developers invest more me and inten on in adequate monitoring and protec on systems to stop these small failures becoming major, costly and highly expensive incidents”, said Nicolas Renon, Execu ve Vice President Asia Pacific, DNV GL – Energy.

Building on the inves ga on, DNV GL has now been contracted to determine ways to assess the future usability of an energy storage system that has suffered a fire. It is hoped that the project will lead to methods for valida ng the state of a ba ery a er a fire and determining how much of it remains func onal.

This will enable operators to make informed decisions on whether a damaged energy storage facility must be replaced or can con nue to operate safely and economically at reduced capacity.

EVENTS

POWERGEN ASIA AND ASIAN UTILITY WEEK

UNITE UNDER THE ENLIT BRAND Enlit will bring together all of these influencers to seize current opportuni es, spotlight future ones, and inspire the next genera on to join the journey”, he added.

Clarion Energy (part of Clarion Events) recently unveiled Enlit - the new name for POWERGEN Asia and Asian U lity Week - at a launch event hosted in Singapore and a ended by over 100 energy professionals.

The result of a six-month crea ve consulta on with market-leading Larsen Energy Branding, Enlit is said to be the world’s only complete energy event. It will bring clarity to the global energy transi on and define the roles of all those involved in powering the next genera on of the industry.

Visitors to Enlit will enjoy an immersive experience with content created and curated specifically for tomorrow’s new energy professionals, while Enlit exhibitors will have unprecedented access to the people driving the future of the industry and the ability to reach a global audience under one brand.

“The energy transi on is defining the way we harness, trade, deploy and use energy, which is changing radically, rapidly and con nuously”, said Nick Rastall, Por olio Director, Clarion Energy Asia.

“From source to genera on, to grid to the consumer, the boundaries of the sector are blurring, and this evolu on is being shaped by established players, external disruptors, innova ve start-ups and the increasingly engaged end-user.

“Enlit is a fantas c new brand for what is the most important and comprehensive event por olio for the global energy industry. Over the next 12 months, we will roll out Enlit across three con nents to unify seven brands: Power & U li es Australia, Australian U lity Week and POWERGEN Australia in Melbourne in August, Asian U lity Week and POWERGEN Asia in Jakarta in September, and European U lity Week and POWERGEN Europe in Milan in October”, said Duncan Reid, Execu ve Vice President & Global Managing Director, Clarion Energy.

Industry support The power and energy industry has welcomed the new Enlit brand. Enel Founda on, the nonprofit research and educa on organisa on created by the Enel Group, which joined forces with Clarion as exclusive Global Knowledge Partner of the Power and Energy event series, also considers Enlit as a pla orm that will support the energy transi on promo ng sustainable and resilient development for all.

“In this historical moment for our industry and our planet, ge ng stakeholders to unite behind accelera ng the clean energy transi on without leaving anyone behind is a global priority and Enlit perfectly represents this convergence space”, said Carlo Papa, Director, Enel Founda on.

Enlit and Clarion Energy Enlit (formerly known as POWERGEN Asia and Asian U lity Week) is organised by Clarion Energy which is part of Clarion Events and, with over 30 events that cover the oil, gas, power and energy sectors, is one of the Clarion group’s largest por olios.

2020 ASHRAE Winter Conference and AHR Expo ASHRAE concluded a successful 2020 Winter Conference and AHR Expo, which were held from 1 to 5 February 2020, in Orlando, Florida, USA. This year’s conference a racted nearly 2,800 building-related engineers, architects, contractors, students, and other industry professionals.

ASHRAE celebrated its 125th anniversary with paper sessions chronicling the progress of key industries and the evolu on of energy modelling. An updated edion of the Society book ‘Proclaiming the Truth’, was released at the conference in addi on to a composite video highligh ng ASHRAE’s history, which debuted at the plenary session.

The Winter Conference technical programme fea-

tured more than 300 presenta ons, with a new track on Big Data and Smart Controls, where session topics included smart sensor technologies, occupant behaviour in buildings and cost-based control of supply air temperature.

The AHR Expo a racted more than 1,900 exhibitors, with 300 companies exhibi ng for the first me. The three-day show, occupying 506,000 net 2 of exhibit space, a racted a endees from more than 160 countries.

The 2020 ASHRAE Annual Conference will take place from 27 June to 1 July 2020, in Aus n, Texas, USA. The 2021 Winter Conference will take place from 23 to 27 January 2021 and the AHR Expo, from 25 to 27 January 2021, in Chicago, USA.

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COVER STORY

HDB INCREASES SOLAR TARGET AND LAUNCHES FIFTH SOLARNOVA TENDER Reinforcing the commitment to increase clean energy genera on.

HDB is targe ng to install solar panels on about 10,000 HDB blocks where feasible, to help reduce Singapore’s carbon footprint. Image by HDB.

The Housing & Development Board (HDB) has reinforced its commitment to generate more clean energy with a new solar target of 540 megawatt-peak (MWp) by 2030. This is part of the new national solar target, to work towards at least 2 GWp by 2030, as announced in October 2019 by the Government.

With the increase in solar capacity to be achieved, HDB remains the largest driver for installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in Singapore.

Having already surpassed the previous solar target of 220 MWp, the new 540 MWp target could potentially generate 648 GWh of clean energy annually. This is equivalent to powering about 135,000 4-room flats with clean energy, and potentially reducing carbon emissions by 324,000 t per year. In comparison, this would increase clean energy generation by 145% from the previous target.

Launch of Fifth SolarNova Tender HDB has called the fifth solar leasing tender under the SolarNova programme led jointly with the Singapore 16

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Economic Development Board (EDB), aggregating public sector demand for the installation of solar panels across 1,154 HDB blocks and 46 government sites.

This latest tender will reap 60 MWp of solar energy islandwide, creating more clean energy and helping to reduce carbon emissions, thereby helping to mitigate the effects of climate change.

The fifth SolarNova tender involves the participation of six agencies, including Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) who are participating for the first time. The solar leasing tender will close on 2 March 2020, and is targeted to be awarded in 3Q 2020. Installation of the PV systems is expected to be completed by 1Q 2023.

Ramping up solar efforts With advances in solar PV technology, HDB is able to make bolder strides to harness solar energy, as more solar energy can be generated from the same amount of space on HDB rooftops. For instance, the industry standard for solar panels has risen since the start of the SolarNova programme in 2014. Monocrystalline

COVER STORY

PERC (Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell) panels, which can convert around 20% of sunlight into electricity, are now more widely used under the programme, rather than polycrystalline panels with an efficiency of 16%.

This increase in solar PV efficiency has enabled the installation of solar panels on some of the previously unsuitable rooftop spaces, such as point blocks and partially shaded areas, thereby increasing the solar potential of HDB blocks significantly.

HDB’s Chief Execu ve Officer, Dr Cheong Koon Hean said, “HDB has been developing solar capabili es for the industry since more than 10 years ago. Beyond crea ng green and sustainable towns and estates, we remain a

key driver in the growth of Singapore’s solar industry. We will con nue to amplify our solar efforts as our na on pushes towards its next milestone to generate more clean energy and help combat climate change”.

As of December 2019, solar panels have been installed on about 2,060 HDB blocks. Solar PV installa on on another about 2,500 HDB blocks is in progress or will commence soon. The solar energy harnessed is used to power common services in HDB estates such as the blocks’ li s, lights and water pumps in the day. On average, these HDB blocks are able to achieve net-zero energy consump on in the common areas, with excess solar energy channelled back to Singapore’s electrical grid.

Government Organisa ons

Solar Capacity

Sites

HDB

51.104 MWp

1,154 HDB blocks under Marine Parade, East Coast – Fengshan, and Jalan Besar Town Councils

MOE

7.904 MWp

31 schools: Admiralty Primary School Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School Ang Mo Kio Secondary School Bedok Green Primary School Bedok Green Secondary School Bukit Batok Secondary School Dazhong Primary School Evergreen Secondary School Fern Green Primary School Fron er Primary School Huamin Primary School Jiemin Primary School Jurong Secondary School Kong Hwa School Pasir Ris Primary School Pei Chun Public School Punggol Secondary School Qifa Primary School Shuqun Primary School St. Anthony’s Canossian Primary School St. Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School St. Hilda’s Secondary School St. Margaret’s Secondary School Tanjong Katong Girls’ School Teck Ghee Primary School Temasek Primary School Unity Secondary School Wellington Primary School Xinmin Primary School Yishun Town Secondary School Zhenghua Primary School

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COVER STORY

Government Organisa ons

Solar Capacity

Sites

MCCY

365.76 kWp

3 sites: Coney Island Recep on Hub Sea Opera ons Centre Cliff Wall Shelter

LTA

337.92 kWp

8 sites: LTA Sin Ming Office LTA Intelligent Transport Systems Centre KPE Ven la on Building A KPE Ven la on Building B KPE Ven la on Building C KPE Ven la on Building D KPE Ven la on Building E KPE Ven la on Building F

NEA

133.76 kWp

New Choa Chu Kang Cemetary Office

CPF

128.96 kWp

2 sites: CPF Tampines CPF Jurong

PA

25.6 kWp

Upcoming Tengah PL C2 Community Club

Total

60 MWp

Overview of SolarNova tenders launched. Image by HDB. 18

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RENEWABLE ENERGY

COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT TO PURSUE SUSTAINABLE

INITIATIVES TO REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS It will u lise renewable energy to power all its opera ons.

Keppel Bay Tower will become the first commercial development in Singapore to u lise renewable energy to power all its opera ons, including the func oning of tenants’ offices in the building.

Keppel Bay Tower is a Green Mark Pla num building cerfied by the Building and Construc on Authority (BCA).

Keppel Land, the owner and operator of Keppel Bay Tower, will be installing an assembly of PV panels, spanning about 400 m2, on the roof of the 18-storey building, as well as on its six-storey podium block. In addi on, Keppel Land, through its electricity retailer, Keppel Electric, will be purchasing Renewable Energy Cer ficates (RECs), for the energy generated from photovoltaic (PV) panels installed in Keppel Offshore & Marine’s yards in Singapore.

When completed in 1Q 2020, Keppel Bay Tower’s PV system is expected to generate an energy yield of about 100,000 kWh per annum. Keppel’s latest ini a ve to install PV panels at Keppel Bay Tower reduces the building’s reliance on grid power. Together with the purchase of RECs, it will result in a reduc on of over 2,400 tonnes of carbon emissions per annum.

Mr Tan Swee Yiow, CEO, Keppel Land, said, “Keppel is commi ed to sustainability, both as a provider of soluons for sustainable urbanisa on and as a responsible corporate ci zen. We will con nue to take proac ve steps to enhance the environmental performance of our developments to build a more sustainable future for all our stakeholders”.

These ini a ves are part of Keppel’s con nued efforts to transform Keppel Bay Tower into Singapore’s first Super Low-Energy High-Rise Exis ng Commercial Building.

In 2018, Keppel Land was awarded a grant of about SGD 1.28 million by the Building and Construc on Authority (BCA) to testbed new and emerging technologies which would reduce the building’s energy consump on significantly and improve its energy efficiency by 20%, compared to other Green Mark Pla num buildings, by June 2020.

Mr Hugh Lim, CEO, Building and Construc on Authority, said, “We commend Keppel Land for its efforts in playing a part to push the boundaries for environmental sustainability in the Built Environment. The efforts for Keppel Bay Tower demonstrate a good example of how even exis ng large commercial buildings can tap on innova on to achieve Super Low Energy (SLE) status, by combining smart air-condi oning and ligh ng with integrated controls. The reduced energy demand can be met by renewables harnessed onsite and offsite through Keppel Land’s holis c approach”.

“We hope more building owners and industry players will be inspired to set new benchmarks for how we build and operate buildings - new and exis ng - contribu ng to the urgent task of mi ga ng climate change through Super Low Energy Buildings”, he added.

Keppel is currently on track to meet its goal of reducing the annual energy consump on of Keppel Bay Tower to 115 kWh/m2 per annum from its ini al consump on of about 145 kWh/m2 per annum, by June 2020. Keppel Bay Tower is also working with tenants to adopt green leases and install energy-efficient LED lamps in their offices at no addi onal capital investments to the tenants, as well as helping them a ain Green Mark cer fica on.

Moving ahead, Keppel Land is also ac vely seeking new solu ons to further reduce the building’s energy consumpon to below 100 kWh/m2 per annum, which would result in Keppel Bay Tower being 50% more energy-efficient compared to typical office buildings in Singapore.

A leading green developer, Keppel Land has garnered a total of 83 BCA Green Mark Awards, of which 16 are Pla num. The total es mated reduc on in energy consump on from all of Keppel Land’s Green Mark-awarded projects when they are fully completed will be over 200 million kWh per annum. This is in addi on to total annual water savings of about 2 million m3 and annual carbon emission reduc on of almost 90,000 t.

Keppel Land is the property arm of Keppel Corpora on, a mul -business company providing solu ons for sustainable urbanisa on.

Sustainability-focused funding Keppel REIT Management Limited (Keppel REIT Management), as Manager of Keppel REIT, has announced that Keppel REIT1 has obtained an unsecured SGD 150 million green loan facility from OCBC Bank. This is Keppel REIT’s second green loan facility, following a SGD 505 million green loan facility obtained in June 2019.

This latest green loan facility can be used to finance or re-finance eligible green projects as well as fund the further growth of Keppel REIT’s green building por olio. At the same me, the Manager has also established the Keppel REIT Green Loan Framework, which is in line with the Green Loan Principles (2018) administered by the Loan Market Associaon and the Asia Pacific Loan Market Associa on.

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THE STRUCTURAL AWARDS 2019

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER January 2020

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RENEWABLE ENERGY

MASS PRODUCTION OF ALPHA SERIES SOLAR MODULES COMMENCES IN SINGAPORE A further demonstra on of the manufacturer’s commitment to promo ng the use of clean energy.

REC Group, an interna onal pioneering solar energy company recently announced that the produc on of the REC Alpha Series solar panel has started in Tuas, Singapore.

The world’s highest power 60-cell module is now rolling off the line at a rate of 5,000 panels per week, which will be ramped up to over 30,000 panels per week, by early 2020. To produce the REC Alpha Series, REC has invested a total of USD 150 million into the company’s state-of-theart site and developed a new ‘Industry 4.0’ cell fab.

The project was completed in record me, through close collabora on with Meyer Burger in Singapore, Germany and Switzerland and over 250 contractors on site, who worked round-the-clock to build new facili es and infrastructure as well as specialised produc on equipment.

This step amounts to an addi onal 600 MW of heterojunc on (HJT) cell and module capacity, bringing REC Group’s total module capacity in Singapore to 1.8 GW annually. With this expansion, the REC Tuas opera on has become one of the largest and most advanced solar PV manufacturing opera ons.

An exterior view of the REC Group’s facility in Singapore.

For Alpha, REC has brought on-board and trained more than 300 new employees in all func onal areas. The mass produc on start came just a couple of weeks before the start of the Asia Clean Energy Summit 2019 (ACES), a conference dedicated to collabora on on critical issues and opportuni es in harnessing clean energy for the future. ACES 2019 was held in Singapore, from 30 October to 1 November 2019.

Alpha was ini ally launched at Intersolar Europe on 15 May 2019. From an ini al produc on, 25,000 modules were already shipped all around the world, with the first roo op systems installed in Italy, the Netherlands, US, New Zealand and Japan. For homeowners, Alpha is an ideal roo op module to dras cally reduce their electricity bills and lead the shi towards a cleaner future by going solar with the latest technology.

U lising advanced commercialised technology, the REC 60-cell Alpha Series solar panel delivers up to 380 Wa peak (Wp). This translates to a leading power density of 217 W/m², providing 20% more power than conven onal panels over the same area.

“Our dedicated goal is to empower consumers. And we know that only with big leaps, the global energy transion can thrive. Alpha is a crucial tool for homeowners to do exactly this and gain energy autonomy”, said Steve O’Neil, CEO, REC. “It is a bold move jumping to HJT, and it is also very bold to do 600 MW in one shot - but being bold and innovave is in REC’s DNA. And Singapore is the perfect loca on 22

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REC Group has commenced produc on of REC Alpha Series solar panels.

to do this. With close to 10 GW of REC solar panels manufactured and installed worldwide to-date, genera ng almost 13 TWh of clean energy and empowering more than 16 million people at their homes, REC Group is a credible advocate for the global energy transi on”, said Shankar G Sridhara, Chief Technology Officer, REC.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

REC panels are not only manufactured but are also designed and developed in Singapore. As such, Tuas is REC’s global opera onal headquarters and home to the brand’s global centre for research, development and engineering. Most recently, Alpha has been granted all 12 design applica ons by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, acknowledging REC’s dedica on in func onal aesthe cs.

Close-up views of the Alpha Series solar panel.

The fully integrated and automated site, with its own 3.2 MW solar array on its roof, is operated by REC since 2010, allowing for reliable, efficient and cu ng-edge manufacturing. The quality of engineers and workers is superior in Singapore, as such offering long-standing exper se when it comes to key competencies as in semiconductor technology.

Furthermore, the Singapore government is heavily suppor ve of solar energy, as are ins tu ons like the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), the Solar Energy Research Ins tute of Singapore (SERIS) and the Energy Research Ins tute @ NTU, all of which are closely collabora ng with REC on ambi ous projects in the PV industry. This mix of commitment and produc on excellence represents the ideal condi on not only for producing the REC Alpha Series today, it also facilitated significant solar innova ons by REC already in the past. This includes halfcut cells and the award-winning twin panel design, both significant technology milestones which were developed

by REC and have been well-received in the market.

“We are delighted that REC has chosen to further invest in and deepen its manufacturing presence in Singapore. REC’s decision speaks to the value that Singapore brings to complex manufacturers. Advanced technological capabilities from Singapore’s established manufacturing and research base, as well as a skilled workforce will enable companies like REC to develop and manufacture increasingly complex products, while contributing towards energy sustainability. We look forward to a continued partnership with REC to develop expertise in leading-edge solar cells, modules and systems”, said Mr Damian Chan, Assistant Managing Director, Singapore Economic Development Board.

REC Group Founded in Norway in 1996, REC Group is a leading ver cally integrated solar energy company. Through integrated manufacturing from silicon to wafers, cells, high-quality panels and extending to solar solu ons, REC Group provides the world with a reliable source of clean energy. REC’s product quality is supported by the lowest warranty claims rate in the industry. REC Group is a Bluestar Elkem company with headquarters in Norway and opera onal headquarters in Singapore. REC Group employs 2,000 people worldwide, producing 1.5 GW of solar panels annually.

An aerial view of REC Groups’s manufacturing site in Singapore, with its own solar array mounted on the roof.

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RENEWABLE ENERGY

EUROPEAN SOLAR PRIZE AWARDED

IN EIGHT CATEGORIES Renewable energy pioneers recognised for innova ve projects and ini a ves.

In mid-November 2019, EUROSOLAR (European Associaon for Renewable Energies) and its Luxembourgian secon honoured eight nominees from six different countries with the European Solar Prize 2019, at the Campus Belval in Luxembourg’s picturesque Esch-sur-Alze e.

The prize was awarded in the categories of municipalies, solar architecture, commercial companies, local or regional associa ons, renewable energy installa ons, educa on and voca onal training, one world coopera on, and special achievement.

In his welcoming address, Henri Kox, former head of EUROSOLAR Luxembourg and newly designated Minister of Housing, stated, “The Energy Transi on is a major challenge for our society. It can only be achieved when we pool our efforts and our ideas, learn from each other and work together to make las ng changes. Only then will we create a sustainable future. I welcome you all to find inspira on from our renewable energy pioneers today”.

In his opening speech, Prof Peter Droege, President of EUROSOLAR e V pointed out the importance of civic dedica on to the energy revolu on.

“I am glad that today we were able to honour people who are working on solu ons for local and regional energy system transforma ons. Whether it is a church, industry or youth movement, all prize winners have innova ons in common that are prac cal and sustainable. Their projects serve as forward-looking examples of renewable energies in Europe”, he said.

Prior to the presenta on of the awards, Prof Stéphane Pallage, Rector of the University of Luxembourg, emphasised the key role universi es play in the fight against climate change and for the energy transi on.

Prof Susanne Siebentri , from the University of Luxembourg, gave an insight into research and development in the field of renewable energy.

A er a lively discussion with speakers and audience, Prof Peter Droege presented the awards to the winners.

The awards ceremony took place, in previous years, in Bonn, Germany, the hometown of EUROSOLAR e.V, as well as in Vienna, Barcelona and Prague. Since 1994, the prize has been awarded annually to municipali es, municipal companies, associa ons and organisa ons, architects, journalists and private, individuals in coopera on with the na onal sec ons of EUROSOLAR. The award recognises the dedica on and inven veness of regional players and provides new impetus for a regenera ve and decentralised energy revolu on in Europe.

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Category: Towns, municipali es, council districts, public u li es Winner: Cloughjordan Ecovillage, Ireland Highlight: Outstanding joint commitment to a sustainable community life Category: Solar architecture and urban planning Winner: The High School for Health Professionals, Luxembourg Highlight: First public school in Luxembourg built to the ambi ous technical standard of a Posi ve Energy Building Category: Industrial and commercial companies or farmers Winner: Industrial Solar GmbH, Germany Highlight: Innova ve solar process for steam genera on for industrial hea ng and cooling Category: Local or regional associa ons / organisa ons Winner: Schoonschip, Netherlands Highlight: Sustainable floa ng neighbourhood in Amsterdam based on the shared use of renewable resources Category: Owners and operators of renewable energy installa ons Winner: The church St Franziskus Ebma ngen, Switzerland Highlight: A role model for harnessing the solar poten al of churches Category: Educa on and voca onal training Winner: Interna onal student residence ‘mineroom’, Austria Highlight: Raising students’ awareness of sustainable living based on renewable energies Category: One World Coopera on Winner: SUNfarming GmbH, Germany Highlight: Combining the produc on of green electricity and food for and with local communi es Category: Special achievement prize for individual commitment Winner: Fridays For Future, Interna onal Highlight: Crea ng a world-wide youth movement advoca ng the immediate need to tackle climate change Winners of the European Solar Prize 2019.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Cloughjordan Ecovillage, Ireland Category: Towns, municipali es, council districts, public u li es Outstanding joint commitment to a sustainable community life The Cloughjordan Ecovillage project set out to build a truly sustainable community including a diversified energy balance which guarantees energy security and minimises ecological impact. The ecovillage uses Permaculture design to integrate green buildings, woodlands, organic agriculture, renewable energy and edible landscapes within a living community.

The 35-hectare site incorporates over 20,000 newly planted trees to increase and sustain biodiversity, allotments and a community farm.

community supported agriculture, exploring community currencies, introducing local democracy and governance systems and playing a part in the strengthening of the local and regional economy.

More than 50 low energy homes and work units have already been built and a further 80 are planned or are under construc on. There are a green enterprise centre, community buildings, an eco-hostel for visitors and several other small businesses. The community also established Ireland’s largest renewable energy district hea ng system which is powered by woodchips, and many homes have solar PV. The ecovillage project is a laboratory for economic experimenta on, championing

The idea of crea ng the ecovillage was formally launched in 1999, the land in Cloughjordan was bought in 2005, and today it is a lively town with a popula on of around 600. Cloughjordan Ecovillage is a registered educa onal charity and an interna onally recognised des na on for learning about sustainable living. It has been iden fied as one of Europe’s leading ‘an cipatory experiences’ of the transi on towards a low-carbon society.

The High School for Health Professionals, Luxembourg

grey energy, the focus lies on reducing the total ecological footprint of the building.

Category: Solar architecture and urban planning

A total of 1626 solar panels, covering a surface of 2,120m², are integrated into the roof structure and serve as the outer shell of the construction. This design reduces the amount of building materials required and improves the building’s carbon footprint. During the summer, 350 m² of solar collectors integrated into the outer facade of the building heat up water in a 90,000 litre storage tank to provide heating to the building. Thanks to extensive thermal insulation, this energy collected is enough to provide heating for most of the winter.

First public school in Luxembourg built to the ambi ous technical standard of a Posi ve Energy Building The Lycée technique pour professions de santé à E elbruck integrates solar panels into the roof construc on to produce a maximum of renewable electrical power while contribu ng to the unique aesthe c appeal of the building. Taking into account direct energy use as well as

The solar panels and the thermal collectors are integrated into the outer shell of the building. The surplus of the annual produc on of electricity is enough to make up for the total amount of grey energy of the building, making it a true Posi ve Energy Building and a shining example of sustainability in modern buildings.

With the Administra on des bâ ments publics as project leader, the construc on was realised through joint effort

by Fabeck Architectes, Be c Ingénieurs-Conseils and Daedalus Engineering. They created an outstanding example of what can be achieved in sustainable construcon with teamwork, dedica on and a common goal.

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RENEWABLE ENERGY

Industrial Solar GmbH, Germany Category: Industrial and commercial companies or farmers Innova ve solar process for steam genera on for industrial hea ng and cooling Industrial process heat is responsible for around 20% of the energy demand worldwide, and for a high share of CO2 emissions. Despite the vital importance of subs tu ng this energy demand with renewables, sustainable solu ons are so far rarely applied.

Industrial Solar has developed a solar steam generator to harness the great poten al of solar thermal energy for process hea ng. A solar thermal collector converts solar energy into heat which can be used in different forms. The collector absorbs the incident sun rays and transfers the accruing heat to a fluid, thereby increasing its temperature. It can reach temperatures of up to 400° C and can significantly reduce the fuel consump on for industrial processes.

The Fresnel solar steam generator can easily be applied in various industrial sectors such as food, beverage, tex le, chemical, metal or pharma. Most importantly, no changes to the exis ng heat supply and distribu on within the factories are required, which is a key criterion for

Schoonschip, Netherlands Category: Local or regional associa ons / organisa ons

Sustainable floa ng neighbourhood in Amsterdam based on the shared use of renewable resources The people living together in Schoonschip share not just their resources but also the vision of a more sustainable lifestyle for everyone.

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industrial decision-makers. Industrial Solar’s opera ng plants prove that solar process hea ng can contribute significantly to a carbon-neutral process heat supply. The Fresnel solar steam generator is a paradigm shi away from fossil-based energy in industrial heat supply.

The ability to create heat for industrial processes on the basis of solar energy is a major step towards a carbon-neutral industrial produc on. With its approach to clean industrial hea ng and cooling, Industrial Solar is paving the way for a 100% renewable future.

The neighbourhood project consists of 46 households and a community centre for more than 100 inhabitants on 30 floa ng plots in the Johan van Hasseltkanaal, in the north of Amsterdam. The water homes are well-insulated and heat is generated by water pumps which extract warmth from the canal water. Tap water is heated by sun boilers, all showers are equipped with installa ons that recycle the heat and passive solar energy is op mised. Photovoltaic solar panels produce the electricity for the neighbourhood and every household has a ba ery to store surplus energy. All water homes are connected to a communal smart grid which enables an efficient energy distribu on. For emergencies, they share just one connec on to the na onal energy grid, and none of the households is connected to the natural gas network. Innova ve micro-solu ons to op mise the use and sharing of available resources are added frequently.

Schoonschip began as a founda on but was soon joined by a coopera ve of households. Their working groups research and implement tasks such as sustainable mobility, communica on, and the selec on of building material.

They cooperate with other projects in the neighbourhood of Buiksloterham as well as with innova ve companies to advance the knowledge and exper se in the area of sustainable community life. The project is expected to be completed in 2020. Several inhabitants have already moved in and tours and presenta ons of Schoonschip are available since June 2019.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

The church St Franziskus Ebma ngen, Switzerland Category: Owners and operators of renewable energy installa ons A role model for harnessing the solar poten al of churches The Roman Catholic church St Franziskus in Ebma ngen was built in 1989. During refurbishment in 2018/2019, efforts were made to make the church carbon-neutral. The renova ons included the improvement of the roof insula on, new LED lightning, a solar-powered geothermal heat pump as well as a PVT installa on of 161 m² for the use of solar heat and PV panels on the roof. Changing to a geothermal heat pump and disposing of the fuel heater will save 7,000 litres of fuel annually and reduce carbon emissions by 21 t. It also decreased the total energy need by approximately 35%, from 84,400 kWh per year to 54,700 kWh per year. The North-South facing PV installa on has a performance of 90 kW. It produces 78,900 kWh per year which amounts to an energy supply of 221% of the church’s energy needs.

Combining the old with the new keeps within the tradion of EUROSOLAR founder Hermann Scheer, who spoke at the inaugura on of one of Rome’s largest photovoltaic systems near St Peter’s Church in 2008. St Franziskus Ebma ngen is a role model for harnessing the solar poten al of churches everywhere and, one might say, for accep ng one of heaven’s gi s: the power of the sun.

Interna onal student residence ‘mineroom’, Austria Category: Educa on and voca onal training Raising students’ awareness of sustainable living based on renewable energies The student residence ‘mineroom’ is the first global high-volume passive house which provides a sustainable home for 201 international students during their time in Leoben. By creating a green home for students coming to Austria from all over the world, ‘mineroom’ integrates renewables into everyday life and makes an impact on what is perceived as the standard way of living in society. ‘mineroom’ is constructed almost entirely from timber, the only exception being the entrance area, the basement and the two staircases. The outer walls of the residence consist of a timber frame construction with a mineral wool-finish. About 1,900 m³ of wood were used for supporting the structure and the facade, thereby binding approximately 2,000 tons of CO2. A photovoltaic system on the roof accounts for the building’s energy supply. It consists of 388 PV modules which produce 105,000 kWh energy per year.

This amounts to an annual reduction in carbon emissions of 12,600 kg. ‘mineroom’ is an example of Austria’s leading role in eco-friendly construction. It was built by the OeAD-Housing Office in cooperation with the Gemeinnützige Wohn- und Siedlungsgenossenschaft Ennstal and the city of Leoben. The green design was created by the architects from AAP Architekten ZT-GmbH. ‘mineroom’ opened its doors after only 11 months of construction in October 2016 and has since been raising international students’ awareness of the role of renewable energies in sustainable housing and a low-carbon future.

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RENEWABLE ENERGY

SUNfarming GmbH, Germany Category: One World Coopera on Combining the produc on of green electricity and food for and with local communi es Decentralisa on and an unlimited supply are dis nguishing features of renewable energies. The very nature of how renewables are produced predes nes them to secure the energy demand in emerging economies, to strengthen local communi es and to increase peoples’ independence from global markets and interna onal fossil giants.

The project developer and operator of photovoltaic plants, SUNfarming, shares the common goal towards 100% decentralised, renewable energies for all. It is cooperating with people in emerging economies to produce food and energy simultaneously and in a sustainable way.

The SUNfarming programmes consist of Food & Energy greenhouses and photovoltaic agriculture plants as well as educational Solar Training Centres, all of which are specifically designed for rural development. They combine training on food and green energy production and as a result create jobs and spread renewables. SUNfarming is cooperating with local educational institutions to offer not only their technology and expertise, but also sustainable education and a

Fridays For Future, Interna onal Category: Special achievement prize for individual commitment

long-lasting economic contribution. The SUNfarming Solar Training Centres in Peru, South Africa and Syria have already trained several hundred people in electrical engineering. Recently, SUNfarming has met the Albanian government for talks over opening a Solar Training Centre there.

Renewable energies have the poten al to fight poverty, promote peace and create flourishing socie es everywhere. With their Food & Energy programs, SUNfarming is coopera ng successfully with local communi es and takes part in crea ng sustainable economies all over the world.

crisis. She posted what she was doing on Instagram and Twi er and it soon went viral. Greta decided to con nue striking every Friday un l the Swedish policies provided a safe pathway well under 2° C, in line with the Paris agreement. The hashtags #FridaysForFuture and #Climatestrike spread and many students and adults began to protest outside of their parliaments and local city halls all over the world.

The FFF-movement has spread over more than 100 countries and inspired thousands of people to come together, built networks and initiatives. They organised not just school strikes and protests but also the Global Week for Future around the Climate Action Summit in New York. The key protest ‘All for Future’ on Friday, 20 September 2019, saw people flooding the streets across 4,500 locations in more than 150 countries. With numbers ranging from 6 million to 7.6 million people taking part, it is said to be the largest climate protest in world history.

Crea ng a world-wide youth movement advoca ng the immediate need to tackle climate change The Fridays For Future movement goes back to August 2018, when 15 year old Greta Thunberg sat in front of the Swedish parliament every schoolday for three weeks to protest against the lack of ac on on the climate 28

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Ongoing coverage of Greta Thunberg, the school strikes on Fridays and its impact have pushed the crucial issue of climate change to the top of the news agenda for months. Fridays For Future is making a major contribuon to raising the awareness for the climate crises and the need to create a low carbon future, including switching to 100% renewable energies.

ENERGY ENGINEERING

THE FUTURE OF

SINGAPORE’S ENERGY STORY The republic’s ‘Energy Story’ will harness ‘4 Switches’, energy efficiency and the power of co-crea on, to create a sustainable energy future for Singapore.

Singapore’s energy sector has come a long way since its early days. Over the last 50 years, we have moved from oil to natural gas for cleaner power genera on. We are also star ng to see more solar energy on roo ops and reservoirs. We have improved the reliability of the energy system, while keeping costs affordable.

Looking ahead, climate change is a challenge that requires us to change the way we use and produce energy, especially if energy demand con nues to rise with economic growth.

Singapore’s energy sector will need to evolve in order to achieve our vision of a clean and efficient energy future.

The ‘4 Switches’ At Singapore Interna onal Energy Week 2019 (SIEW 2019), Minister for Trade & Industry Chan Chun Sing spoke about the need to create our Energy Story together. The Energy Story will harness ‘4 Switches’ to guide and transform our energy supply. This will be supported by greater efforts in energy efficiency to reduce energy demand. The ‘4 Switches’ will comprise: • The 1st Switch: Natural Gas - About 95% of Singapore’s electricity is generated using natural gas, the cleanest fossil fuel today. Natural gas will con nue to be a dominant fuel for Singapore in the near future as we scale up our other switches. The Government will help genera on companies improve the efficiency of their power plants.

• The 2nd Switch: Solar - This remains Singapore’s most promising renewable energy source. We are on track to reach our solar target of 350 megawa -peak (MWp) by 2020. The Government is working towards achieving a new solar target of at least 2 gigawa -peak (GWp) by 2030, and an energy storage deployment target of 200 MW beyond 2025.

• The 3rd Switch: Regional Power Grids - Singapore will also explore ways to tap on regional power grids to access energy that is cost-compe ve. This could be realised through bilateral coopera on or regional ini a ves.

• The 4th Switch: Emerging Low-Carbon Alterna ves We will also look into emerging low-carbon solu ons that have the poten al to help reduce Singapore’s carbon footprint. These could include carbon capture, u lisa on or storage technologies, and hydrogen.

New solar target of at least 2 GWp by 2030 The Government will work with companies, researchers and the public, to deploy at least 2 GWp of solar by 2030 - enough to meet the annual power needs of around 350,000 households in Singapore.

This assumes the following: (a) A DC-to-AC conversion ra o of 0.77. (b) A solar PV load factor of 14%, which is the average percentage of solar output expected in a year. (c) An average monthly household electricity consumpon of 444.3 kWh (based on 2017 data).

This would increase solar adop on in Singapore by about eight mes today’s installed capacity. To facilitate greater solar adop on, Singapore will deploy and maximise solar panels over available spaces. These could include rooftops, reservoirs and offshore spaces. Besides increasing our clean energy supply, solar will improve energy security by tapping on alterna ve energy sources.

More energy storage for more solar Energy storage can address solar intermi ency and enhance grid resilience by managing mismatches between electricity supply and demand. The Energy Market Authority (EMA) will support a large-scale, na onwide deployment of Energy Storage Systems (ESS), with a target of 200 MW beyond 2025. To do so, EMA will work closely with the industry and agencies to build test-beds and standards to support the deployment of ESS in Singapore.

Among the collabora ons will be a research grant awarded under EMA’s partnership with the Korea Ins tute of Energy Technology Evalua on and Planning (KETEP). This will help promising Singaporean and Korean firms to co-develop innova ve solu ons for the management and safety of ESS.

Co-crea ng our Energy Story Our Energy Story is a long-term effort, and everyone has a role to play in crea ng this story. To make this vision a reality, the Government will work hand-in-hand with all stakeholders, including businesses, research communies, youths and young scien sts, the Union of Power and Gas Employees, and the public.

Energy Market Authority The Energy Market Authority (EMA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry. EMA’s main goals are to ensure a reliable and secure energy supply, promote effec ve compe on in the energy market and develop a dynamic energy sector in Singapore. Through its work, EMA seeks to forge a progressive energy landscape for sustained growth.

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ENERGY ENGINEERING

Energy Market Authority - Korea Ins tute of Energy Technology Evalua on and Planning Partnership Project Objec ve Safer, denser energy storage systems for the tropics

Current situa on Solar energy is the most viable source of renewable energy for Singapore. However, it is intermi ent in nature as solar output can be affected by weather condi ons such as cloud cover. Energy Storage Systems (ESS) can be used to store solar energy and overcome its intermi ent nature.

Some ESS today use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) ba eries. They are safer to deploy as they do not produce oxygen when overheated which could lead to fire incidents. However, they tend to take up more space compared to other lithium-ion ba eries for the same amount of energy stored.

Aim The project aims to develop a novel hybrid ESS by coupling the LFP and LMFP ba eries with lithium-ion capacitors to store and despatch more energy within

the same amount of space required for deployment.

The project will also develop a Smart Distributed ESS Management System (SDEMS) designed for Singapore’s hot and humid climate, as such condi ons can degrade ba ery performance.

The SDEMS will come with an ar ficial intelligence correc on model to op mise ESS charging for be er ba ery stability and fire safety. If successful, the project will produce a new ESS that is safer and more suited for hot and humid condi ons. The SDEMS can also be customised by the industry to work with different types of lithium-ion ba eries used for their ESS.

Project Team Principal Inves gator - Mr Yong Ping Quen, Building System & Diagnos cs Pte Ltd Co-Inves gators - Regentech Pte Ltd, Singapore Ins tute of Technology Korean Collaborators - On-Test Co Ltd, Korea University

Youth contribu ons recognised at Singapore Energy Award 2019 At SIEW 2019, the Singapore Energy Award 2019 was presented by Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing to four recipients. They are: • Mr Chen Chiu-Hao Ted (Youth Category) • Professor Subodh Mhaisalkar (Innova on Category) • Singapore Ins tute of Technology (SIT) (Capabili es Development) • Union of Power and Gas Employees (UPAGE) (Contribu ons to the Energy Sector) Mr Chen Chiu-Hao Ted is the Co-Founder and Chief Product Architect of EverComm Singapore, which was set up in 2013 with help from a grant awarded by the Energy Market Authority (EMA) to the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Since co-founding Evercomm at the young age of 23, Mr Chen has transformed the company from a start-up into one of Singapore’s leading energy management companies in the energy Internet of Things (IoT) sphere. To-date, EverComm’s energy analy cs products have delivered more than USD 3.4 million in energy savings for its clients, and a racted R&D collabora on and partnership from top interna onal enterprises.

Professor Subodh Mhaisalkar is an Execu ve Director at Energy Research Ins tute @ Nanyang Technological

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University (ERI@N). He has built ERI@N into a leader in academic research and is developing a community of energy researchers in Singapore. Professor Subodh has also pushed innova on boundaries by spearheading EcoCampus, a research, design and development programme. Through this programme, ERI@N facilitated test-bedding of innova ve technologies to reduce energy, water and waste intensity at the NTU campus and neighbouring CleanTech Park.

SIT played a pioneering role in leading manpower development in power engineering. In 2013, it was the first local ins tu on of higher learning to offer a dedicated Electrical Power Engineering undergraduate degree.

SIT is also developing innova ve solu ons to enhance its relevance to the energy sector, as can be seen from its ongoing collabora on with SP Group to develop Singapore’s first experimental urban mul -energy micro-grid for educa on and research at its future centralised campus in Punggol.

UPAGE is playing an important role in the energy sector’s workforce transforma on, for example, by collabora ng with training ins tu ons to develop courses with new and specialised digital skills.

Infographic by Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore.

PROJECT APPLICATION

HELPING THE CITY OF DAVOS TO REALISE ITS OWN GREEN OBJECTIVES Upgrading the ligh ng to LEDs underlined the possibili es of sustainable prac ces to world leaders.

Signify, an interna onal leader in ligh ng, is helping the city of Davos to achieve its sustainability goals by upgrading the exis ng ligh ng with high quality, energy-efficient LEDs. The company upgraded the ligh ng of the city’s Congress Centre in me for the World Economic Forum Annual Mee ng 2020, and is engaged in an ongoing programme to upgrade the streetlights in the city.

The World Economic Forum Annual Mee ng 2020 was held from 21 to 24 January 2020 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. The annual mee ng brings together more than 3,000 global leaders from poli cs, government, civil society, academia, the arts and culture as well as the media.

Convening under the theme ‘Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World’, par cipants focus on defining new models for building sustainable and inclusive societies in a ‘plurilateral’ world.

“Signify is a regular par cipant in the World Economic Forum at the Congress Centre here in Davos for many years. That is why they came to us and helped us realise how much of an improvement the switch to LEDs would be. Both upgrades are a major step in our ambi ons to answer the global call for sustainable measures”, said Tarzisius Caviezel, Mayor of Davos.

In Davos’ streets, Signify and its long-standing partner ELEKTRON have so far replaced 500 of the 1,000 streetlights with energy-efficient LEDs and connected 250 of those to its Interact City cloud-based, wireless connected ligh ng system, saving 72,300 kWh in energy per year.

Interact City enables remote management of the streetligh ng infrastructure, including individual and grouped control over the streetlights with just a few clicks, allowing the operator to easily maintain an overview even with a large number of lights. The city plans to complete the installa on in five to 10 years.

During the refurbishment of the Congress Centre, Signify upgraded almost 900 lights, enabling the city, which owns the Congress Centre, to save an addi onal 50,000 kWh in energy per year. This reduces the Congress Centre’s carbon emissions by 28 tons per year, which is a reduc on of 82%. Signify donated new genera ons of Philips GreenSpace Accent Projectors, Philips LuxSpace Accent Downlights, Philips GreenSpace Compact Downlights and Philips Master LED Spots. On top of that, the en re light control system was replaced and prepared for future needs according to the Congress Centre’s requirements while remaining fully compa ble with the current building management system.

“We are very happy that the city that hosts the world’s leaders every year is taking such a major step forward.

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Signify has upgraded the ligh ng at the Congress Centre in Davos and is upgrading the streetlights in the city, with high quality, energyefficient LEDs.

PROJECT APPLICATION

leaders that are gathered here this week should take note and realise that much more needs to be done if we want to achieve a carbon-neutral world by 2050 at the very latest. This really needs to be the pping point as we enter the decade of climate ac on and start our race to the future”, said Eric Rondolat, CEO, Signify.

“Our current economic model of take-make-waste is not sustainable. A switch to a circular economy is a key weapon in the fight against climate change. It will allow us to extend the use of materials and avoid destroying resources - unlocking economic value”, he added.

“Take for instance our recent launch of 3D prin ng

of luminaires for professionals and consumers. This technology consumes less energy in material extrac on and manufacturing and has a 47% lower carbon footprint compared to a conven onally manufactured metal luminaire. And savings would even increase further if we print using recycled materials, like the luminaire made of 24 recycled CDs”, Mr Rondolat con nued.

A switch to a circular economy will result in economic development, create jobs and result in greater welfare around the globe. The EU calculated net economic benefits at EUR 1.8 trillion by 2030, which translates into a GDP increase of as much as seven percentage points.

Saving energy use in hotels while maintaining superior guest experience The hotel industry faces the challenge to reduce its carbon emissions by 66% by 2030, and by 90% by 2050, to stay within the 2˚ C threshold agreed to at COP21, a United Na ons Climate Change ini a ve.

A study by Cundall, an interna onal mul disciplinary engineering consultancy, which was commissioned by Signify, shows that for mid-scale and luxury hotels, the use of Interact Hospitality can deliver significant energy savings without compromising on quality and guest comfort. This connected guest room management system allows for intui ve guest room management on a single dashboard. Compared to rooms with no smart controls in opera on, a luxury hotel can consume 28% less energy per guest room, at 80% occupancy.

By using the Green Mode on the thermostat, an addi onal 10% energy saving can be achieved.

Hotels are big players when it comes to energy consump on, consistently ranking among the highest energy consumers of the ter ary building sector. One possible explana on for high energy use and inefficient energy prac ces is that hotels o en priori se guest comfort and experience over everything else. But much more can be done than asking guests to opt-in to less frequent towel changes and the increasing use of refillable toiletry dispensers. Cundall’s study shows how integra on of control systems into key building services (air condi oning, ligh ng and power), can play a major role in reaching the energy reduc on targets set by the Interna onal Tourism Partnership, while maintaining guest comfort.

“Signify’s Interact Hospitality system has a big impact on reducing energy costs, as it controls the room ligh ng, air condi oning, power and charging sockets, and motorised curtains. For example, hotels can op mise their energy usage in unoccupied guest rooms by adjus ng the temperature levels in the room automa cally and open curtains only

when guests have checked in”, said Jella Segers, Global Lead for Hospitality at Signify.

Cundall’s study shows that 65% of the realised energy savings in the hotels studied were achieved due to the integra on between Interact Hospitality and the hotel property management system. The remaining 35% energy savings are achieved due to the real- me occupancy control in the guest room.

“Commonly used temperature setpoints in hotels o en make guests feel too warm or too cold, marking vast gaps between indoor and outdoor temperatures. Working with Cundall, recommenda ons of temperature setpoint ranges have been created, commonly referred to as adap ve comfort hypothesis”, Ms Segers added.

“Based on seasonal changes, the Interact Hospitality system provides support to automa cally update temperature setpoints across the hotel, balancing energy use with op mal guest comfort”, said Marcus Eckersley, Managing Director SEA, Cundall.

“Although this study has presented significant energy savings for hotels in hot climates within Southeast Asia, Middle East and North Africa, we an cipate similar savings from hea ng for hotels in temperate climates, like Europe and North America.

Hotel operators can expect favourable returns on investment, compared to guest rooms without a smart control system in opera on”, he added.

Through its open Applica on Program Interface (API), the Interact Hospitality system communicates to various hotel IT systems, from housekeeping to engineering, as well as guest tablets. Besides maximising energy efficiency and mee ng sustainability goals, staff produc vity and guest experience are improved. Opera ons can be streamlined, with minimal disrup ons, as Interact Hospitality offers an intui ve dashboard with realme displays of guest requests and room condi ons.

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PROJECT APPLICATION

CHILLER PLANT RETROFIT HELPS MALAYSIA’S MEGA COMPLEX CUT

ANNUAL ENERGY AND OPERATIONAL COSTS Rising u li es costs and sustainability issues were key drivers behind the decision to overhaul the original cooling system.

An exterior overview of Sunway Pyramid Mall.

Sunway Pyramid Mall is a themed shopping and entertainment mall situated in Sunway City, Selangor, Malaysia. The five-level mega complex houses more than 1000 outlets, with a wide variety of dining, fashion and specialty offerings, in addi on to a 12-screen cineplex, an indoor ice-ska ng rink and a bowling alley. Since its opening in 1997, the mall has gone through two major expansions. It now has a total retail floor area of nearly 400,000 m2.

Consis ng of a central chilled water plant with eight units of water-cooled chillers, the exis ng system was designed without adequate buffer and the pumps were over-taxed as a result.

An internal energy audit further highlighted the inefficiencies of the poorly designed system. The overall plant room efficiency registered only in the 1.10 - 1.20 kW/TR range, and the ageing chillers were unable to chill water to the intended temperature efficiently.

Incen ves from the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) Malaysia further bolstered the management’s decision to phase out the inefficient chillers.

Under the SAVE Program, Sunway Pyramid could receive a rebate of about USD 430,000 to offset the purchase of eight new energy-efficient chillers, each able to achieve 34

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The indoor ice-ska ng rink within the mall.

0.54 kW/TR or less. This allowed the management to reduce the project payback period to 4.3 years, instead of 4.8 years.

Op mising the built environment Sunway Pyramid awarded the contract to Johnson Controls, a global technology provider in building technologies and solu ons.

In its search for a replacement solu on, Sunway Pyramid had s pulated several criteria:

PROJECT APPLICATION

• Elimina ng the use of HCFC refrigerant gas which will be phased out in 2020 under the Montreal Protocol.

• Mee ng the target of 30% savings in energy consumpon annually.

• Ensuring no down me and minimal inconvenience to retailers and shoppers during the retrofit.

Against this backdrop, Johnson Controls designed an integrated solu on that included the Metasys so ware and YORK YK centrifugal chillers - a combina on that op mises and manages the performance of the chillers.

Analy cs for be er efficiency The Metasys Central Plant Op misa on (CPO) so ware uses predic ve algorithms to minimise energy use and opera onal cost without sacrificing reliability. The technology monitors numerous inputs - from connected chillers, pumps and cooling towers to weather forecasts, u lity rates and maintenance schedules - in real- me and the data is updated every 15 minutes. The algorithms automa cally op mise the cooling, hea ng and power genera on in a holis c way.

The op misa on so ware is able to predict hourly cooling, hea ng and power loads over a seven-day period.

Based on historical loads, weather, day of week, me of day, building schedules and special events at the mall, the so ware then adjusts opera ons and makes decisions based on those predic ons. This approach allows the chillers to run at the lowest cost possible, while supplying reliable cooling to the shopping mall.

Op mised chiller plant The YK centrifugal water chiller has a variable-speed drive and an open-drive motor that does not come in contact with the refrigerant. The chiller is also fi ed with a falling-film evaporator that reduces refrigerant charge by up to 40%.

Johnson Controls installed a total of seven YORK chillers of 1,200 TR capacity and one YORK chiller of 550 TR capacity, each able to achieve 0.54 kW/TR or less - which were all integrated with the Metasys so ware. These new chillers are using the HFC-134a refrigerant, a chlorine-free refrigerant with zero Ozone Deple on Poten al (ODP) and lower Global Warming Poten al (GWP) than the R-12 refrigerant.

With more efficient technology in place, Sunway Pyramid is running six out of the eight chillers on a daily basis - with be er indoor cooling temperatures. The extra buffer allows the service team to rotate the chillers to minimise equipment stress, in addi on to having extra cooling capacity during fes ve peak periods with heavier foo all.

Ini ally, the Sunway Pyramid’s service team was scep cal about the effec veness of the system. But, they were soon won over by the intui ve design, touchscreen user interface and powerful analy cs. With the Op View control centre feature, which has a full-colour, interac ve display of setpoints, readouts, alerts and reports, service personnel can fix any issue quickly, to enhance chiller performance.

Inside the chiller plantroom.

A service technician conducts checks on a York chiller.

Collabora ve efforts The engineering teams from both sides relied on me culous planning and resourcefulness to resolve the various challenges they faced during the project. For instance, the worst-performing chiller, which was located in the middle of a linear arrangement of chillers, was to be replaced first, followed by the next worst performer un l all eight units were replaced. This approach added to the level of complexity as it differed from the planned sequen al replacement, star ng with the outermost unit.

Assembling the new chillers on-site was an intricate undertaking. At Sunway Pyramid, the plinths for the chillers had to be first extended to support the larger-size YORK models. The chillers were delivered to the work site one at a me, while a specialised crane operator was brought in to unload the chiller components into the plant room, due to height restric ons of the facility. Mul ple teams were engaged to ensure that the components were unloaded quickly and properly posi oned onto the plinth.

It took 13 days, from start to finish, to replace a chiller at Sunway Pyramid, compared to a typical seven-day period under normal circumstances. Johnson Controls had to re-assemble the components into a fully built-up unit within 24 hours while the Sunway Engineering team saw to the piping rework. Addi onal work on the chiller included pressure tes ng to check for leakage, insula on, wiring works, charging, test run and observa on for any tripping, before the next chiller was delivered to the site, and the process repeated.

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PROJECT APPLICATION

The installa on of the new high tension (HT) switchboard was just as daun ng. The equipment had to be delivered on the day of installa on as there was no storage available on-site. New cables were laid inside the plant room prior to the delivery to facilitate reconnec on works to the chillers. The team had to work within 7 hours of down me to posi on the new switchboard at the existing incoming busbar loca on. This required precise fabrica on of the switchboard, in addi on to having a team of skilled experts with special tools on standby to ensure a smooth transi on. The rewiring work on each chiller had to be completed within the limited me-frame, before the mall opened the following day.

Work on the one-for-one replacement called for a highly skilled shutdown that allowed the mall to stay open for business throughout the six-month retrofitting project. The tight coordination between Johnson Controls and Sunway Engineering was critical to the process of decommissioning of the old chillers and installing new ones.

Johnson Controls also designed a building management system (BMS) for the new chillers. The team held numerous discussions with the management to understand the mall’s opera ng hours and parameters

to integrate a solu on that matched the day-to-day opera on of the complex.

Significant cost reduc ons Sunway Pyramid exceeded its energy efficiency targets within a year of project comple on. The solu on delivered plant room efficiency of 0.7 kW/TR, which was an improvement over the planned 0.75 kW/TR. Energy consump on and opera onal cost were cut by 30%. The audited savings in electrical consump on reached about USD 80,000 per month, surpassing the set target of USD 63,000 per month. Prior to the switch to YORK chillers, the average monthly electrical consump on was a whopping USD 338,000.

Reducing carbon emissions is an important corporate social responsibility (CSR) goal for Sunway Pyramid, as the organisa on ac vely adopts measures to help mi gate climate change. The energy-efficient chillers reduce some 4,300 tonne/year of CO₂ emissions.

In total, these improvements have significantly reduced the energy and opera onal costs for Sunway Pyramid by about USD 900,000 per year - and these savings are s ll con nuing.

New appointments at Johnson Controls Johnson Controls, a global leader in building technologies and solu ons, is growing its presence in Southeast Asia, with appointments of senior leaders to increase the company’s foothold in the region’s smart buildings market.

“Southeast Asia region offers dynamic growth opportuni es for Johnson Controls. To meet the region’s high demands for infrastructure development, city resilience and appe te for innova on, Johnson Controls is commi ed to build a strong leadership presence and team to power our customers and business partners for sustainable growth”, said Visal Leng, President, Asia Pacific, Johnson Controls.

Alvin Ng

David Kirubi

Adis Peukpa anaruks

Jack Yeo

New appointments to the Johnson Controls leadership team in Southeast Asia include Alvin Ng, Vice President, Digital Solu ons, Asia Pacific (based in Singapore); David Kirubi, General Manager for Transforma on, Asia Pacific (based in Singapore); Adis Peukpa anaruks, General Manager, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia (based in Bangkok); and Jack Yeo, Country General Manager, Philippines.

These addi ons complete the Johnson Controls leadership team in Southeast Asia, which also includes Hendrikus Hendra Gozali, Country General Manager, Indonesia and Fam Wee Chean, Country General Manager, Malaysia.

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DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

TRANSFORMS ENGINEERING

by William Yong, Managing Director, Southeast Asia, Water and Narsingh Chaudhary, Execu ve Vice President, Asia Power Business, Black & Veatch Harnessing the power of compu ng, Big Data and advanced algorithms, Ar ficial Intelligence presents new possibili es for today’s engineers.

Governments in Asia perceive Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a core pillar of their smart city strategies and growing investments in the concept indicate its vast potential.

Singapore launched its National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and committed over SGD 500 million to fund activities related to AI under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2020 Plan.

The Philippines is working with the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Aboitiz School of Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship (ASITE) to prepare a roadmap which will position the country as an AI leader in Southeast Asia.

Malaysia has set up a USD 1 billion AI park to boost research and development in the country.

AI is not a new concept. What is new, however, is its value proposi on. Rapid developments in compu ng power, Big Data, Machine Learning (ML) and advanced algorithms have boosted the poten al of AI. AI and ML technologies offer the ability to process and u lise vast amounts of data. That ability allows power and water facili es, for example, to move beyond the descrip ve analy cs in use currently. Descrip ve analy cs uses data to understand past incidents and trends.

Over the years, data mined from different power and water equipment has largely been unstructured. Today, power and water leaders can leverage AI technology by layering ML capabilities over the data collected, manipulate it, find patterns, and transform the data into insights that can anticipate required action.

Automating business processes, gaining insight through data analysis, and engaging with customers and employees are some business priorities that can be addressed by AI. AI can enable and enhance predictive analytics which establishes what is likely to happen, and move towards prescriptive analytics which suggests actions based on the predictions.

One example of predictive analytics is predictive maintenance. AI can predict the state of the equipment in advance so that maintenance can be scheduled. This addresses sustainability and reliability issues of facil-

Mr William Yong

Mr Narsingh Chaudhary

ities like water networks and power grids, while mitigating costly outages and other equipment failures.

AI can also be trained to support prescrip ve analy cs.

Prescrip ve analy cs enables autonomous management, where machines act on the informa on the AI has extracted. Autonomous management con nuously refines and amends the way it responds to the need to act.

First steps Industry response to AI has been positive. Pressured by limited capital, rising customer expectations, and growing commitments to sustainability and reducing resource consumption, asset-heavy facilities, like utilities, are adopting data analytics to improve different stages of the infrastructure lifecycle.

Simplifying Asset Performance Management (APM) is one priority Asian utilities are considering. They are teaming up with software partners, like Black & Veatch’s subsidiary, Atonix Digital, to implement APM software that improves processes ranging from health-monitoring of critical assets, preventing failures, and improving the operational efficiency of facilities such as power generation, industrial, and water and wastewater treatment plants.

By focusing on core areas including risk assessment, investment planning, data management, performance analysis, and monitoring and diagnostics, software such as Black & Veatch’s ASSET360 platform can promote innovation across the entire infrastructure lifecycle, through its modular, extensible architecture, and its seamless integration of functions and tasks across all specialised modules.

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DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES

Engineers lead the change AI technology is bringing new opportunities and changing roles. AI relies on data, complemented by the insights of engineers who are intimately knowledgeable on how assets have been designed, built and behave. The engineers understand what the assets need to do and need not do, to present meaningful and relevant insight, advice or control action. Expertise from a variety of disciplines in the organisation will be necessary to provide insights into the data patterns to teach the computer how to recognise failure mode data signatures and understand how to optimise performance.

Today’s engineers have the opportunity to think of AI as another component of the industry workforce. It can learn, but it needs to be taught. AI needs to gain experience, while operating under close supervision, from those who know the assets well.

The result will be a blended workforce of artificial and human intelligence - Engineer 2.0. The close involvement of asset experts in the planning, implementation, training and operation of AI will help them develop trust in the system.

The process will take time. According to one industry estimate, only about 20% of AI-aware companies are using AI technology in a core business process.

A significant amount of clean data is required to determine what op mum performance looks like. Once performance baselines are established, anomalies can be detected with enough confidence to provide expert advice or perform AI control. Most u li es do not yet have

data in sufficient quan ty and quality to reach this point.

While it may exist in pockets, there is s ll much to do to in terms of data collec on and structuring to support an effec ve enterprise-level AI system.

It will take a few years to achieve the full potential of an enterprise-level AI system. This sort of time scale will help foster the level of cultural change required to garner the requisite trust in AI’s ability to perform effectively and safely.

Trust in AI is key if we are ultimately to delegate elements of control to it. Without trust, this will not happen. Creating the right level of trust requires the ability to explain. If the logical basis of a decision can be explained, that decision is more likely to be trusted. In other words, AI systems’ ‘thinking’ must be transparent and readily understood. This is our current challenge.

The supercharged pace of technological change means that it may take a shorter me to gather the requisite levels of suitable data and embed a successful, enterprise-wide AI system. What is certain, however, is that, with the support of AI, Engineer 2.0 is becoming a reality.

AI elevates produc vity in digital water networks Asian companies, faced with limited capital, rising customer expecta ons, and growing commitments to sustainability, are adop ng AI applica ons to improve different components of the water infrastructure lifecycle.

Risk assessment, investment planning and performance analysis are some key business objectives that AI applications are addressing in the water sector.

One AI applica on under considera on is the crea on of a digital representa on of water treatment and distribu on infrastructure, and embedding AI into a digital twin. The twin is in constant dialogue with its physical counterpart, enabling u li es to simulate and test scenarios and op ons before implemen ng them in the real world.

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DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES

One AI applica on that has been considered is the crea on of a digital representa on of water treatment and distribu on infrastructure, and embedding AI into a digital twin. By enabling predic ve capabili es and intui ve decision support and interven on, digital twins address mul ple business objec ves.

The twin is in constant dialogue with its physical counterpart, enabling u li es to simulate and test scenarios and op ons before implemen ng them in the real world.

A water u lity digital twin offers the prospect of assistance to enhance customer experience, without increasing the bills to fund improvements, by op mising performance of exis ng assets and increasing the efficiency with which they are operated and maintained. The twin supports this by facilita ng systems thinking - combining mul ple internal and external data sources across the asset base with predic ve analy cal techniques served through mul ple func onal views. This enables improved insights that support be er decisions, leading to be er outcomes in the physical world.

AI op mises output poten al in the next-gen power grid Governments across Asia are tapping integrated power infrastructures to address growing energy demand generated by rising incomes, industrialisa on and a rapidly growing urban popula on.

An integrated power infrastructure takes advantage of different genera on, transmission and distribu on technologies to help u li es overcome the pi alls of ageing infrastructure assets while mee ng customer demand for energy that is renewable and reliable.

While integrated power infrastructures offer opportunies to improve the way energy is produced, transmi ed and consumed, they also introduce opera onal complexi es to the supply and demand cycle.

One way to mi gate these opera onal complexi es is through autonomous management. An autonomous interface can integrate core components of the grid to op mise power output. Core components of the grid include renewable and conven onal energy, energy storage and microgrids.

AI, with its capability to support analy cs, forecas ng and automated decision-making, is key to the success of Asia’s energy transi on.

AI-generated insights can improve renewable energy genera on forecas ng, grid stability and reliability, demand forecas ng, demand-side management efficiency and op mised energy storage opera on.

The large quan ty of data collected by smart sensors is par cularly useful for renewable energy applica ons. As wind and sunlight affect power genera on produc on, sensors and smart grids ensure that renewable energy plants are opera ng to their op mal poten al. This promotes grid stability while addressing the intermi ent nature of renewables.

At the same me, digital transforma on ini a ves such as predic ve asset maintenance offer forecas ng and

real- me monitoring. Predic ve maintenance uses ML, pa ern recogni on and advanced analy cs to op mise, manage and deliver interven ons. These interven ons give power u li es in Asia the opportunity to priori se mission cri cal investments through iden fying equipment and processes that could result in the highest cost benefits.

Black & Veatch to create water u lity digital twins One of the world’s first water u lity digital twins will be created for Anglian Water in the UK, by Black & Veatch. The u lity’s ‘future water company, today,’ ini a ve uses the Newmarket region of its opera ng area as a proving ground for innova ons promising the greatest benefits. As part of this, Black & Veatch is crea ng a digital representa on of the region’s water treatment and distribu on infrastructure and embedding Hybrid Adap ve Real- me Virtual Intelligence (HARVI), an ar ficial intelligence (AI) provided by its strategic partner EMAGIN, into the digital twin. This enables predic ve capabili es and intui ve decision support and interven on.

Anglian Water describes the Newmarket region as a ‘shop window’ for its cu ng-edge approach to delivering water services. The ‘future water company, today,’ ini a ve has set seven ambi ous goals for Newmarket - zero leakage and bursts, 100% customer sa sfac on, water consump on of 80 litres per person per day, zero pollu on and flooding, 100% compliant and chemical-free drinking water, carbon neutrality, and building a circular economy that eliminates the concept of waste from the processes. The digital twin is a significant step towards mee ng those goals.

A water u lity digital twin offers the prospect of helping enhance customer experience, without increasing bills to fund improvements, by op mising performance of exis ng assets and increasing the efficiency with which they are operated and maintained. The twin supports this by facilita ng systems thinking - combining mul ple internal and external data sources across the asset base with predic ve analy cal techniques served through mul ple func onal views. This enables improved insights that support be er decisions, leading to be er outcomes in the physical world.

The interface between Anglian Water’s asset monitoring and control networks, EMAGIN’s AI HARVI and Black & Veatch’s analy cs and visualisa on tools, will be managed using Black & Veatch’s ECO-X digital ecosystem environment.

ECO-X facilitates the seamless interac on of common water industry tools, u li es’ enterprise IT systems and Black & Veatch’s own AI-enabled data gathering, analy cs and management tools.

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ENVIRONMENT & WATER ENGINEERING

NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AGENCY WINS INTERNATIONAL ENGINEERING AWARD The award honours Singapore’s Semakau Landfill as the first offshore landfill in the region where nature and landfilling opera ons co-exist.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) has been recognised for its outstanding engineering feat in the development of Semakau Landfill.

NEA received the 2019 Hassib J Sabbagh Award for Engineering Construction Excellence, from the World Federation of Engineering Organizations, at an award ceremony held in late November 2019, in Melbourne, Australia. This prestigious international award affirms the role of engineering in sustainable development.

Underlining the theme for the 2019 Award, which was ‘Sustainable Development for Smart Cities’, Semakau Landfill showcases how sustainable waste management can co-exist with flora and fauna. The development of Semakau Landfill, the first offshore landfill in the region, is proof of Singapore’s innovative spirit and strong engineering capability, in response to the twin challenges of Singapore’s growing waste generation and severe land constraints. This unique approach to waste management balances national development and biodiversity conservation in an environmentally sustainable way.

Semakau Landfill’s Success Story Launched on 1 April 1999, Semakau Landfill achieved several engineering feats, including in deep-sea piling and open sea construction that required the use of large floating cranes for installation of the roof structures. Adding to the challenge was the need to preserve the island’s biodiversity before landfill operations began. Mitigation measures included the replanting of about 400,000 mangrove saplings on two new plots at the northern and southern fringes of the original island during the Phase I development, as well as the harvesting and transplanting of over 700 colonies of corals in the Phase II lagoon to Sisters’ Island. Over 80 species of birds, inclusive of some endangered species, have been spotted around Semakau Landfill. The thriving coral colonies and wild birds in their natural habitat on Semakau Landfill show that the landfill operations and preservation of the local natural environment can both be achieved, at the same time.

Winning the award was particularly significant, as Semakau Landfill had just crossed the important 20th anniversary milestone. The purpose of the Hassib J Sabbagh Award is to direct the world’s attention to the role of engineering in sustainable development. The award also includes a cash prize of USD 10,000 which 40

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER February 2020

NEA will be donating to a WFEO project on capacity building for climate change education in the Small Islands Developing States (SIDS). The donation, which will fund training and teaching aids for climate change awareness in schools, underscores NEA’s and MEWR’s (Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources) commitment to international and regional cooperation for climate action, and in supporting developing countries in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Mr Tan Meng Dui, Chief Executive Officer, NEA, said, “Achieving this award is a significant milestone, particularly for a relatively young organisation like NEA. The timing of the award is also special and gratifying, as we celebrate Semakau Landfill’s 20th anniversary this year. We are honoured to receive this award, and proud of our engineers who have combined their inventiveness with sheer determination and hard work to great effect, in developing Singapore’s first offshore landfill. The current generation of NEA engineers stands on the shoulders of the past generation. This award is therefore also a recognition of the industry and pioneering spirit of the engineers and leaders that have come before us. I hope this award will inspire everyone in Singapore to all do our part and work together to preserve Semakau Landfill and lengthen her lifespan beyond 2035”.

An outstanding engineering feat.

Aerial views of Semakau Landfill. All images by Na onal Environment Agency.

ENVIRONMENT & WATER ENGINEERING

Replanted mangroves at the Northern plot.

Replanted mangroves at the Southern plot.

The Eastern bund.

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PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS

KONE DX CLASS ELEVATORS WITH BUILT IN DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY AS STANDARD KONE, a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, has introduced what the company says is the world’s first digital elevator series. With built-in connecvity as standard, KONE DX Class elevators bring a new user experience to life through a combina on of design, technology, new materials, apps and services.

With the KONE DX Class, the role of elevators in future smart buildings is expected to change. The elevator is no longer merely a way to travel between floors but becomes an integral and integrated pla orm that offers intui ve, ambient and connected experiences that extend from the lobby throughout the building. For KONE customers such as developers and building owners, a key advantage is the ability to adapt and upgrade the elevator experience according to present and future needs.

The new KONE DX Class enables customers to tailor and plug in addi onal so ware and services for elevators throughout the en re life me of a building. By using open applica on programming interfaces (APIs), KONE’s approach makes it easy to manage and integrate different devices, apps and services with new and exis ng systems. For elevator passengers, this brings a host of new, mul sensory experiences inside the elevator, combining physical hardware and digital services. These can be customised according to individual needs and preferences, bringing new levels of ease and convenience.

Every KONE DX Class elevator provides the following: • The op on for customers to easily and remotely ac vate digital services when they need to, including KONE 24/7 Connected Services and KONE Residen al Flow.

• Secure APIs for third-party solu ons which create new and exci ng services. KONE is also announcing agreements with a number of companies to bring new levels of sophis ca on to the people flow experience.

With the KONE DX Class, the role of elevators in future smart buildings is expected to change.

• A variety of new design op ons and innova ons, including an -stain, an -scratch, and an -bacterial surfaces.

• Advanced dynamic display, sound and ligh ng op ons to transform the ambience and interior.

• A range of sustainable materials to meet green building criteria like BREEAM and LEED. The new KONE DX Class elevator series became available in European markets from December 2019 onwards and is expected to be rolled out to other areas during 2020 to 2021. The KONE DX Class is also ideal for customers looking to modernise exis ng equipment with enhanced eco-efficiency, performance, and aesthe cs. The KONE DX Class is expected to replace the current KONE elevator range.

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The new KONE DX Class elevator incorporates a variety of new design op ons and innova ons, including the an -fingerprint feature.

PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS

SIEMENS ENABLES HOLISTIC

ENERGY DATA ANALYSIS IN BUILDINGS At this year’s Light+Building 2020 trade show, to be held in Frankfurt, Germany, from 8 to 13 March 2020, Siemens Smart Infrastructure will present the first energy management soluon that holis cally captures energy data in buildings.

It collects data all the way to the final circuit without any addi onal wiring or space requirements. All electrical data, from the power feed-in to the socket outlet, can then be seamlessly integrated into building management systems and analysed by cloud-based applica ons. This makes the electrical infrastructure an integral part of smart buildings that are connected via the Internet of Things (IoT).

Operators and users gain maximum transparency over their energy flows and benefit from end-to-end digitalisa on.

Digitalisa on of electrical installa ons With the new 5SL6 miniature circuit breakers (MCB) and 5SV6 arc fault detec on devices (AFDD) from the Sentron por olio, Siemens brings digitalisa on to electrical installa ons. The compact devices combine overload, short circuit and arc fault protec on with integrated communica on and measuring func ons in just one modular width (MW). They can measure electrical values such as current and voltage, as well as temperature and switching states for individual circuits and automa cally iden fy error causes. Operators and electrical installers can quickly recognise loads with increased power consump on, as well as anomalies and disrup ons in the electrical installa on and intervene early on. All the data can be visualised on a PC, tablet or smartphone and connected to analy cs tools and digital environments through the new 7KN Powercenter 1000 gateway.

Integrated building and energy management The updated Sentron ‘powermanager’ power monitoring so ware consolidates building and energy management in one single pla orm. Version 4.x can be used as a standalone so ware or, for the first me, integrated into the Siemens Desigo CC building management system as an expansion module. This allows all energy distribu on and building automa on systems to be operated, monitored and managed from a single system. Sentron ‘powermanager’ analyses electrical parameters such as voltage, currents and power quality. Especially, small and medium-sized businesses benefit from the easy-to-use so ware. They can easily iden fy poten al savings or system errors, reduce energy costs and cut CO2 emissions. All analyses can be shown in flexibly configurable dashboards or report templates and assigned to cost centres. Users are automa cally no fied by e-mail or text messages (SMS) of irregulari es in energy consump on or unusual system behaviour.

In addi on, integra on in Desigo CC enables regression analyses. By comparing consump on data with infor-

ma on from presence detectors, for example, it can be determined if energy for ligh ng, hea ng or air condioning is being used in temporarily unoccupied parts of the building. If electrical systems such as elevators or escalators consume an unusually large amount of electricity, this can be similarly compared with the maintenance intervals defined in the building management. If necessary, these must be shortened to avoid expensive repairs and breakdowns.

Real- me energy data analysis via app The new Sentron ‘powermind’ app analyses energy data directly in MindSphere, the cloud-based, open IoT opera ng system from Siemens. Users see a real- me overview of current energy consump on and trends over me - both for en re systems as well as for individual electrical loads. The app is easy to use and requires no specific IT skills, allowing even inexperienced users to enter the world of digital energy management.

The new electrical installa on devices from Siemens combine protec on and measurement func ons in a single unit.

All the energy data from the electrical installa on can be connected to analy cs tools and digital environments through the new 7KN Powercenter 1000 gateway.

The new Sentron ‘powermind’ app analyses energy data directly in MindSphere, the cloud-based, open IoT opera ng system from Siemens.

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PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS

INNOVATIVE HVAC SOLUTION

RECOGNISED GLOBALLY Carrier recently announced that it received its fifth major award for the Carrier AquaEdge 19DV water-cooled centrifugal chiller in just over a year. Most recently, the company received accolades for the 19DV, in Dubai, as the ‘2019 Innovative Manufacturer/ Supplier of the Year’, in the Chillers category at the Climate Control Awards hosted by CPI Industry. The 19DV, an innovation in cooling and heating technology, utilises an environmentally sustainable refrigerant with a high safety rating and a low global warming potential of ~1.

The AquaEdge 19DV was designed to minimise environmental impact while also providing industry-leading efficiency. The 19DV’s EquiDrive two-stage backto-back compression allows for effective heat recovery which enables its high cooling efficiency at standard conditions to flex up to 120° F (48.9° C) for energy-saving hot water production. The 19DV also provides free cooling, a strategy for leveraging natural air temperatures, which can result in thousands of dollars in energy savings per year while reducing maintenance costs and mechanical room space. Additional features include a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) that protects the chiller against abnormalities in the power quality being delivered to a system and Carrier SMART Service wireless technology that allows for remote diagnostics, long-term performance trending, benchmarking, decision analytics, and advanced notifications. By leveraging insights, Carrier SMART Service provides intelligent analytics for maintenance staff, that can proactively help improve equipment reliability and reduce energy usage, maintenance expenses and resource consumption.

The innovative AquaEdge 19DV first launched in Asia in 2016 and was subsequently introduced to other regions, earning a reputation for reliability and efficiency. The chiller added to its list of accolades when it was recently named the Green Product of the Year, in the Energy Management category, at the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Green Building Awards in Dubai.

Carrier, a unit of United Technologies Corp, is a leading global provider of innovative heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies.

In 2019, the Carrier AquaEdge 19DV water-cooled centrifugal chiller was recognised as a top chiller by leading organisa ons across four major regions of the world.

The 19DV’s low-speed EquiDrive compressor technology allows for load cancella on - resul ng in bearing technology that lasts the life of the chiller.

Carrier had also accepted the RAC Cooling Industry Award for Air Conditioning Product of the Year in the System/Standalone category for the AquaEdge 19DV in London. The water-cooled centrifugal chiller was also awarded Gold in the US-based Consulting-Specifying Engineer Product of the Year Awards, in the Boilers & Chillers category.

The wins in 2019 follow a successful 2018 where the AquaEdge 19DV was named the winner of the SEC-Senoko Green Innovation Award at the Singapore Environmental Achievement Awards.

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The 19DV is the most environmentally responsible chiller Carrier has ever made. That is due to world-class efficiency and the use of the ultralow GWP refrigerant R-1233zd(E).

PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS

SMART BUILDING SOLUTIONS TO HELP BUILDINGS ACHIEVE ENERGY SAVINGS SP Group (SP), a leading energy u li es group and 75F, a building intelligence solu ons provider, are offering a micro-climate control solu on that can save more than 30% in energy consump on while improving occupant comfort.

The solu on uses applied Ar ficial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) to reduce energy consump on in a building.

It takes into considera on factors like occupancy and weather and op mises air-flow to evenly cool areas.

SP partnered with 75F to customise and test the performance and viability of the solu on for Singapore’s tropical environment.

The solu on was trialled for a year at Singapore Ins tute of Technology’s (SIT) campus at Dover and Mercatus Co-opera ve Limited’s corporate office at One Marina Boulevard in Raffles Place.

Both loca ons achieved more than 30% in energy savings, while improving comfort for occupants by ensuring that the indoor temperature and air quality were op mal.

With the validated outcomes, SP and 75F will offer the solu on to customers in Singapore, China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Australia.

Air-condi oning contributes 60% of a building’s electricity consump on.

With buildings consuming a third of Singapore’s total electricity consump on, this new solu on will help the country reduce electricity consump on and support the goal of cu ng na onal emissions intensity by 36% below 2005 levels, by 2030.

The micro-climate control solution is a self-learning, intuitive building intelligence system that optimises and regulates air-conditioning in buildings to improve operational efficiency and occupant experience.

The system’s central control unit divides large open spaces into smaller zones that balance the temperature, air flow and carbon dioxide (CO2) within each zone.

It also op mises the air-condi oning opera on by using the least amount of energy to achieve the required comfort.

SP’s partnership with 75F first started as part of SP’s Energy Advanced Research and Development (SPEAR) programme, under the SP Centre of Excellence (SP CoE).

SP Group SP Group is a leading energy u li es group in Asia Pacific.

It owns and operates electricity and gas transmission and distribu on businesses in Singapore and Australia, and district cooling businesses in Singapore and China.

SP Group is commi ed to providing customers with reliable and efficient energy u li es services.

About 1.6 million industrial, commercial and residen al customers in Singapore benefit from SP Group’s worldclass transmission, distribu on and market support services.

These networks are amongst the most reliable and cost-effec ve world-wide. SP Group also drives digital solu ons to empower customers to manage their u lies, reduce consump on and save cost.

SP Centre of Excellence The SP Centre of Excellence (CoE) is an ini a ve by SP Group (SP) to drive the innova on and commercialisa on of next-genera on energy network technologies for the greater reliability and efficiency of Singapore’s infrastructure.

Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board, the CoE aims to establish SP as a thought leader in the u lity industry and build future-ready energy networks and resource capabili es.

This allows SP to stay ahead of global trends such as the drive for smarter and greener performance, and to sustainably meet evolving customer needs.

75F 75F is an award-winning, IoT and Machine Learning company taking a fresh approach to HVAC, ligh ng and controls in commercial buildings.

Founded in 2012, 75F offers data-driven, proac ve, predic ve building intelligence and controls. 75F is backed by investment groups including prominent names such as Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Oil & Gas Climate Ini a ve.

75F has delivered hundreds of energy-efficient, comfortable and healthy spaces to customers.

75F launched its opera ons in India in August 2016 and has been growing steadily since, with customers such as Firstsource Solu ons, Flipkart, Benne -Coleman Group, Mercedes Benz, Mapletree, HP, Shell, Smartworks and other leading brands in India.

They join US customers such as HOM Furniture, Border Foods, Magnet 360, Rockler and Yoga Fit. THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER February 2020

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IES APPRECIATION & AWARDS NIGHT AND SPRING FESTIVAL 2020 Every year, IES acknowledges the efforts and contribu ons of its volunteers through the Apprecia on & Awards Night. This year, the ceremony was held on 6 February 2020 at Qian Xi (Farrer Park) Restaurant, located at Civil Service Club @ Tessensohn.

It was also an occasion to gather and usher in the Year of the Rat, with the Spring Fes val celebra ons being held concurrently, adding to the fes ve atmosphere in spite of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) situa on.

Precau onary measures were taken to ensure peace of mind amongst the 250 guests, IES staff, and the restaurant workers. Temperature screenings were conducted, all guests submi ed their travel declara ons, and hand sani sers were readily available.

The evening’s activities were rounded out with perennial favourite Bingo, which got everyone excited as they looked out for the numbers flashed on the screen that determined if they had the fortune to bring home some chocolate, hampers, or wine bottles this year.

Some guests also made use of the venue’s karaoke system, bel ng out tunes both classic and contemporary, entertaining all who were s ll present.

It was a great celebra on indeed, both of the past year’s efforts, as well as the advent of the new year. Cheers to a successful 2020 ahead!

The emcees also encouraged guests to adopt alterna ve forms of gree ng such as waving or clasping of hands, so as to minimise physical contact.

Taking the change of pace this year in their stride, the two lions from Nam Sieng Lion Dance Troupe pranced through the restaurant before “plucking the green” (cai qing) on stage, blessing all in a endance with good fortune for the year.

In his opening address, IES President Prof Yeoh Lean Weng thanked all volunteers, partners and staff, and spoke briefly about the Ins tu on’s achievements and highlights in the past year.

Special men on went to the Charles Rudd Dis nguished Public Lecture, which was put together within two months and a racted more than 1,000 par cipants.

Prof Yeoh receives blessings from the lions on behalf of all members. May everyone have good health and wealth in 2020!

He also encouraged members to step forward with ideas on how the community could be be er-served, as IES embarks on a new journey this decade as a “family of engineers”.

A total of 39 awards were given out that evening, such as the Outstanding Volunteer, Outstanding Commi ee, and Special Recogni on Awards (see full list on pages 47 – 48). Amongst our student chapters, NUS came out on top in the University category, while the young engineers-in-training at Temasek Polytechnic took home the tle in the Polytechnics category.

We also presented the Friend of IES Awards to our valued partners in gra tude of their con nued support and partnership with us for the benefit of all engineers.

46

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER February 2020

Lou hei for a prosperous and successful year ahead!

IES UPDATE

Mr Andy Ong, Asst Director, IES Academy (standing, le ) and A/ Prof Lim Kok Hwa, Asst Honorary Secretary chat with (seated, from le ) Mr CK Vishwakarma, Ms Tan Siang Yee and Mr Samuel Tan before the dinner.

Some of the lucky Bingo winners ge ng their slips verified by our hosts Spencer and Bai Fong.

IES Apprecia on & Awards Night – Full list of award recipients Outstanding Volunteer Award 2019 Name

Commi ee / Interest Group Served

Prof Chan Eng Soon

Chartered Engineer Assessment Commi ee

Eur Ing. Kenneth Cheong

Qualifica on & Membership Commi ee

Dr Cheong Mun Kit

Railway & Transporta on Technical Commi ee

Prof Chew Ek Peng

Chartered Engineer Assessment Commi ee

Er. Asst Prof Chew Soon Hoe

Civil & Structural Engineering Technical Commi ee (Geotechnical Division)

Mr Roy Kee

Railway & Transporta on Technical Commi ee

Mr Khoong Hock Yun

Charles Rudd Dis nguished Public Lectures Organising Commi ee

Er. Vincent Lim

Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Technical Commi ee

Mr Liu Soon Leong

Community Service Commi ee

Mr Ng Chong Khim

Awards Commi ee

Er. David Ng

Civil & Structural Engineering Technical Commi ee (Geotechnical Division)

Prof John Pang

Railway & Transporta on Technical Commi ee

Er. Quek Tee Dhye

Chartered Engineer Assessment Commi ee

Mr Syafiq Shahul

Young Engineers Commi ee

Dr Aaron Sham

Civil & Structural Engineering Technical Commi ee (Geotechnical Division)

Dr Paul Sharra

Chartered Engineer Assessment Commi ee

Er. Sing Mong Kee

Railway & Transporta on Technical Commi ee

Mr Jonathan Tan

Health and Safety Engineering Technical Commi ee

Mr Tan Mu Yen

Chartered Engineer Assessment Commi ee

Er. Edwin Teoh

Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Technical Commi ee

Mr CK Vishwakarma

Electronics and Computer Engineering Technical Commi ee

Dr Wong Yiik Diew

Chartered Engineer Board

Dr Zheng Jian Xin

Railway & Transporta on Technical Commi ee THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER February 2020

47

IES UPDATE

Friend of IES Award 2019 Name and Organisa on

Commi ee / Interest Group Nominated

Ms Janice Tan, Land Transport Authority

WES 2019 Organising Commi ee

Mr Terry Lim, Mastereign Enrichment Group

NED Organising Commi ee

Mr Young Joo Chye, PUB

WES 2019 Organising Commi ee

Prof Lim Tit Meng, Science Centre Singapore

NED Organising Commi ee

Prof Chua Kee Chaing, Singapore Ins tute of Technology

Charles Rudd Dis nguished Public Lectures Organising Commi ee

Prof Chong Tow Chong, Singapore University of Technology and Design

Charles Rudd Dis nguished Public Lectures Organising Commi ee

Mr Albert Tan

Finance Commi ee

Mr Samuel Tan, NTUC

IES-NTUC Steering Commi ee

Ms Tan Siang Yee, NTUC

IES-NTUC Steering Commi ee

Mr Melvin Yong, NTUC

IES Academy

Best Student Chapter Award 2019 IES-NUS Student Chapter (Universi es) IES-Temasek Polytechnic Student Chapter (Polytechnics)

Outstanding Committee Awards 2019 Civil & Structural Engineering Technical Commi ee Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Technical Commi ee Railway & Transporta on Technical Commi ee

Special Recognition Award Charles Rudd Dis nguished Public Lectures Organising Commi ee

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX Building and Construc on Authority ––––––––––– Page 01

IES Membership –––––––––––––––––– Inside Back Cover

Cementaid (S.E.A.) Pte Ltd –––––––––––––––––––– Page 05

IES Railway Systems Handbook ––––– Outside Back Cover

IES Chartered Engineer –––––––––––– Inside Front Cover

48

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER February 2020