Singapore's Power Problem: Inside Our Immense Energy Consumption | Climate Change: A Wicked Problem
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 มี.ค. 2021
- Energy-hungry yet space-starved, Singapore faces big obstacles in its quest for renewables. Can the city-state really keep its pledge to reduce carbon emissions?
On average, Singaporeans have higher carbon footprints than their counterparts in Beijing and Hong Kong. Power generation is responsible for almost 40% of the country’s carbon emissions. With electricity demand growing about 2-3% each year, the island nation has to contend with its twin ambitions of economic growth and climate change action.
To solve this wicked problem, Dr Janil Puthucheary learns more about the limitations of solar power, while also exploring the possibilities of hydrogen and nuclear. He also tries to rewire our wasteful energy habits, such as the use of air-conditioning. Game-changing technologies like carbon capture present another way out of the carbon conundrum. But the urgency of rising temperatures and sea levels could mean that the lion city is running out of time.
Continue watching Climate Change: A Wicked Problem: • Climate Change: A Wick...
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About the show: Confront a global threat - climate change - with host Janil Puthucheary. From plastics to electricity to food, he breaks down the little things that’d make up unique solutions for a unique nation.
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#ClimateChangeAWickedProblemCNA #JanilPuthucheary #ClimateChange #Singapore
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17:06 onwards, the scientist in blue, you can see he have suffered a stroke before but he still keeps working & researching on clean power for the future generation! Mad Respect bro
Janil is a great host. Looking forward to more of him in future programmes.
Thank you CNA for shedding an insight on the problem! I’ll be mindful when using power next time.
nothing about The $23BN Plan to Power Singapore from Australia?
no
29:51 correct! most people don't know that switching on a fan helps a lot in reducing the need for cooler temp settings
I had been using solar energy for a year and it feels really great knowing I am preserving the future for my child. Its a bit more expensive but its a huge difference when it comes to helping my child have a cleaner future environment. This is something the current generation of parents lack, to preserve now so our children don't bare our sins of the dirtier environment we left them...
Lies again? Renewable Energy
A documentary that advocates our social responsibilities in our energy consumption/usage. Thank you CNA for this very informative docu, watching from the Philippines :) with 💓🇵🇭🇸🇬
This was a very well made video. As someone who is connected to energy efficiency, climate change etc, I think they hit the key point. We may try and come up with newer technologies & try and replicate nature's processes but what really matter is the collective consciousness. Unless we truly strive to make the world a better environment to live in, we won't be able to bring about a true transformation !! Cheers !!
Imagine what ONE LITTLE LIGHTBULB ......C olectively.......A ssist.......N ow.- DO !!
Happy to see that Singapore is exploring pebble bed reactors, smart move. I was mortified when this idiotic proposal to run a power cable from Australia to Singapore was floated in order to utilise the output from a solar plant in Western Australia. Intermittent power is not the answer.
Excellent job by Dr Janil and the team. Thanks for highlighting this problem to the public.
Nice one !
Kinetic energy generation in large scale should've been shown.
We should speak about battery recycle if all these alternatives are explored.
How about centralized aircon for the whole city.
What interesting content! Love it
This form generates 75% or energy in France~
Me: Oh, that's gotta be nuclear~ XD
The best way to generate electricity!
I thought Lee Kwan Yew once said the best invention for Singapore’s development was the aircon - guess he was wrong.
Designers of new HDB flats should include Aircon in their designs, as it’s very inefficient to have multiple small aircon systems rather than a larger centralised one that is available to all apartments. Even more efficient if the heat exchanger can be underground where it is much cooler.
Singapore doesn’t have land for solar, but Australia does! There is a project called the SunCable project that will be building a massive solar farm and batteries near Darwin, and supplying the Electricity to Singapore via a giant undersea HVDC cable.
absolutely loving these series. well done, CNA team!
Realtime household energy monitoring is effective, I have been using it for the past 5 yrs, I'm able to reduce those vampire power consumptions to reduce my monthly electricity bill.
What else do you use to reduce it? Thick good quality blinds or thermal curtains? Tinted glass or storm windows and doors? Replaced every light with LED lights? Better breadbox and electrical wires helps reduce leaking electricity the more adapters you have more leak points. Computers that get hot are consuming much more electrify than when they are cool and hot temperatures shortens the lifespan of electronics, heat has always been an enemy of laptops and desktops same for smartphones. When charging or using keep the fan on them helps reduce electricity costs and prevent damage to the battery from being hot too long. Talking Point also did an episode on battery's.
District cooling solution is seems good but on consumer side still requires electricity to operate Air handling units or fan coil units and sophisticated chilled water pipe lines network.
simple practices help in some ways.
C+1 - turn the air-con a Celsius higher
N-1 - reduce one portion of normal daily consumption.
A*n - Altitude change
R/n - Shared the resources wisely.
interest in SMR technology is growing worldwide. According to the IAEA, there are currently 84 reactors in development or under construction in 18 countries.
Such an informative video! This should be shown in all schools
Very informative documentary......keep it up
The arrival of the small modular reactor (SMR) is a potential solution to many of global warming issues, and one that can play a role in a cleaner future.
Singapore, especially EMA, should start exploring what role the nuclear energy should play in the region and advocating for a bigger nuclear role in displacing the dirtiest fuel, including natural gas and LNG.
I suggest all home air-conditioners that should have a timer function, like automatically turning off for one hour, after two hours operation .especially after get into sleep ,we don't need to turn it on till next morning. Once the room temperature has cooled down, it is quite comfortable.
I found it easier to sleep when it is colder.
The human test on office temp was silly, The problem is when people live in high temps for months at a time. It takes time for humans to adapt. Working 1 hour at 30C is much different than 12 hours.
The tipping point is already here. Years ago should ban plastic bag and implement strict green building code and prevent more nature forest from being clear away. I wonder how much heat are the hdb buildings absorbing each day from the sun. Aircon is already not a luxury this days. I using mine just to cool the walls to just slp well. Although it cost more but it is the right thing to enbloc the old flats to construct new one on those lands instead of deforestation lands.
That’s really informative and thanks for making this.
This doc speaks about the smaller contribution of the pie but it be more important to also address the power consumption of industries and neighboring countries' contribution of CO2 due to deforestation for farming and palm oil plantations... Boycotting palm oil products also help big in deforestation which improves air quality and cut down CO2.
Nuclear powered generator meeting Singapore annual rising demands not necessarily need to build in Jurong nor main island, that is a catch here for those against this renewable source. 🤩🤩Of course without LKY around, road ahead can be rough for many at time .
Singapore is thinking 25 years down the road... I respect that lot.
All these are part of the 4th Industrial Revolution agenda aka The Great Reset agenda proposed by WEF. Stop hiding in your cave please.
If we use solar power to make U235 we then have an emergency power supply in case of need. We can use the new nuclear technique described in the video.
Also in low wind conditions like those in Singapore a lightweight wind turbine can be used, a bit smaller as a rule. Solar power can be used to help start it when the wind strength is enough to keep it going .
We need to plant more trees including mangrove trees.
what about solar glass, can we use solar glass to replace our glass windows in buildings, to generate electricity
Test subjects: shuts off computers, air conditioners to save.
Program host: Takes helicopter to look at ocean .
World: practice what you preach- use a row boat next time
Hope the helicopter was solar or wind powered...maybe not nuclear 😋
So, what was the carbon footprint from fabricating the giant electric meters? If you want to reduce monthly Kwh usage, put current limiters on each house or apartment.
I live in Phoenix AZ where 40C is pleasant because of the low humidity. Planning a move to SE Asia and not looking forward to the higher humidity.
I think they should have made some documentaries about the dark side of Singapore. Do you think it's good ??
@troy krentzs didnt they made a series called don't call us poor?
why wont SG allow for more Kei cars from Japan, every time i want to buy a Honda S660 a 0.6L car that drives 30km per 1L of fuel but SG makes it more costly than a 3L car
They could put data centers underground or underwater ...no? or dig canals around Singapore to cool the city...!! Thank you for that very informative video. Change is inevitable !!
So, how many tons of CO2 were produced in putting the system in place? I want to see the reconciliations from mining the raw materials to flipping the switch to “on“. You don’t save anything until you recoup that. Don’t forget to include end-of-,life considerations and the CO2 they produce.
Provide info erm is there not an electricity meter
Props to the camera man of this documentary
multiple pathways: for example, R&D for new sources of low or zero carbon fuel, retail programs that use prices to encourage energy efficiency and demand reductions which may also facilitate advanced technologies for home energy management and energy metering, wider system integration with other electric systems to enhance access to renewable energy while also maintaining security of grid and improving resilience.
Singapore should seriously consider R&D in to hydrogen or other fuel low carbon fuel sources. Also, consider wave technology. Advanced Nuclear Design also an option, despite the scare tactics in this video.
The thing that is mostly overlooked is that eating meat raises body temperature. As meat has become relatively cheaper the consumption has gone up. Many families now eat meat every day instead of once a week or two weeks in the old days. Lower body temperature means lesser need for air conditioning.
Personal responsibility for curbing climate change is critical but governments around the world have done extremely poor job of educating their citizens.
we just installed a 5kwh solar system in our house so that we don't have to buy electricity from the city. we do need little bit of it in the night time but our electric consumption is not that much so its fine. we are happy that we are generating our own electricity which is clean and zero carbon and we aren't depended on the grid.
And what's the cost of storing safely the nuclear waste forever?
31 degree celsius with low humidity will be possible if everyone is wearing singlets and shorts.
The negative perception of nuclear energy by the public may be attributed to the way it is shown in the media. Documentaries should show the safeguards in place such as ESSC (Emergency Core Cooling System) and the presence of containment building while highlighting the number of deaths due to the leakage of radiation in Fukushima. This could slowly change our perception of nuclear energy to a more balance one instead of being negative.
Curious why Tokyo and Beijing are so much lower than Singapore carbon emissions
The irony about saving energy is... we are not going forward on the "Kardashev scale".. but going backwards..
but yea.. i do prefer my energy comes from green tech.. there's something nice about it..
That temperature and humidity is georgia in the USA in summer.
Blasting my air con with the windows open to do my part for climate change :D
Open ur fridge too :D
This is really cool! There is so much to explore in Singapore. What is one of the most unique places you have visited in Singapore?
Great content! I believe Solar & SMR will be a good substitute moving forward. It is not enough for individual households to do our part by reducing our energy consumption. We need the transportation and industrial sector to do their part as well. Looking forward for an episode on how these sectors reducing their energy consumption.
Using Singapore as a model of what is happening globally is interesting. I wonder if education truly helps solve the problem of supply and demand. Regardless of how much information is passed on, people are so used to having the comforts that fossil fuels provide. Innovation is great at trying to solve this problem but how soon can these changes be achieved. Is it too late to try and implement these changes. I hope all who are working to stop or curve the heavy use of energy, can convince every country to accept these new changes. It only seems it will work if everyone is aboard. I hope we can come together and work to fix this complex problem.
We use aircon to keep cool while countries with cold climate use heating systems to keep warm.
34:33 It's 31C in my room but comfortable. The humidity is low though at 47% as the aircon in the living room is running, drying the air across the house
1979 weather satellite first launched and has been giving real time temperature readings which contradict your statement
What about our ICE vehicles? They don't produce CO2?
Singapore is doomed in terms of heat, im afraid its very hard to live well into SG100 or even beyond…outdoor activity is nearly impossible in daytime from the heat in the next 100 years….better migrate fast while its still easy
how about coming up with ideas with a better AC, less power hungry and produces less CO2 emissions
Great Show! But your power system was too small. If it had been of adequate size, about twice as big then your show would have been produced by 100% Renewable Energy.
Many thanks! Amazing documentary!
Welcome to Saudi Arabia
great host
*Here & Now Is A Simple Incentive: Make Small Stickers And Place Them Around The Home & Businesses: "When Not In Use, Cut Off The Juice"*
instead of using the fans, we can use the wind
Samsung and two other Korean conglomerates have signed an agreement with U.S.-based NuScale to build small-scale modular nuclear reactors, known as SMRs, in Asia as demand for clean energy grows globally.
NuScale and Samsung C&T, the construction and trading arm of Samsung Group, together with units of Korean conglomerates Doosan Group and GS Group, will explore the deployment of NuScale’s SMR power plants. “This announcement is a critical next step in bringing NuScale’s clean energy solution to Asia,” NuScale said in a statement. It looks like it’s coming to Singapore very soon.
“With this MOU, it is expected that there will be great progress in SMR business development through stronger cooperation between NuScale and Korean strategic investors,” said Byungsoo Lee, a vice president at Samsung C&T, in the statement. “I think SMRs will play an important role to respond to the demand of carbon-free and climate change.”
What is SG size compared with every nation on earth? Are we going to react similarly the largest polluters on earth? This matter have got to be taken in context with the size of the country. The same person here can't be doing the same thing in comparison to a country or population a thousand times larger.
7:01. 32 million tonnes/y of CO2 is generated by only 7000 cars? Something wrong with that statistic.
March 2021 satillite data measured global temperature @ = -- .1C below 40 year global temperature average. CO2 level up 22 percent over that period. Plant growth planet wide up 15 percent same period.
No talk about the oil refinery lol
Singapore lies in the tropics. High heat & high humidity. Given the RH % their temp cannot go to 140. Less congestion is what they need.
Demand more than supply. Who creates the high demand? Who is paying the price for high demand despite low consumption of power? Common sense. Period.
I'm trying to figure out why, with exception of solar and water electrolysis, why do the vast majority of power plants waste energy by going from natural (eg water, wind, nuclear, coal, gas) to mechanical (spinning a turbine) before conversion to electricity? How much energy could we save if we used direct conversion (eg nuclear directly to electricity, etc) instead of the waste of the middle man turbine spinning? Even vast majority of nuclear power still uses this 18th century technology.
The reason why power consumption per person is increasing is because people spend more time on tiktok hence phones need to charge more.
Singapore is A SMALL ISLAND with 6 million citizens and 2 million foreign workers. Plus right at the EQUATOR with high humidity. Air Conditionong is a MUST. And many can affort to switch it 24/7. So .......... ???
I'm doing fine with my fan. It's not a "MUST".
its not a must, you are just too SPOLIT. people handled it fine in the 1950s before air con
1st Switch: Natural Gas
Today, about 95% of Singapore's electricity is generated using natural gas, the cleanest form of fossil fuel. Natural gas will continue to be a dominant fuel for Singapore in the near future as we scale up our other switches.
EMA has taken steps to help our power generation companies (gencos) improve the efficiency of their power plants. For instance, we launched the Genco Energy Efficiency Grant Call that encourages gencos to deploy equipment or technologies to be more energy efficient and competitive. We will continue to look at ways to supporting our gencos in such efforts.
2nd Switch: Solar
Solar remains the most promising renewable energy source for Singapore, while energy storage systems allows us to counter the intermittency of renewable energy sources such as solar.
Singapore has achieved its 2020 solar target of 350 megawatt-peak (MWp) in the first quarter of that year. In the longer term, we are working towards achieving a new solar target of at least 2 gigawatt-peak (GWp) by 2030, and an energy storage deployment target of at least 200MW beyond 2025.
3rd Switch: Regional Power Grids
We will explore ways to tap on regional power grids to access energy that is cost-competitive. This could be realised through bilateral cooperation or regional initiatives.
4th Switch: Emerging Low-Carbon Alternatives
We will also look into emerging low-carbon solutions (e.g. carbon capture, utilisation and storage technologies, hydrogen) that have the potential to help reduce Singapore's carbon footprint.
In fact Singapore already achieved 100% adopting cleaner energy, but Solar farm from Australia will add another 15% and if adopting underground SMR nuclear and Hydrogen storage and geothermal, these are more or less making Singapore with so many more alternatives to adopt in case Should LNG gets into crises.
I have done cycling in over 45 celcious.
welcome to India :)
nothing about The $23BN Plan to Power Singapore from Australia?
Erm, nuclear power.
Need to have sea wall, earthquake proof, and etc
Very informative and well explained.
Only the helicopter flight didnt add any value to this vid and you are offsetting massively the co2 savings by your solar panel and your awareness campaign.
I was thinking the same thing about the heli flight.
1:49 he doesn't need to go through this.
7:56 He's not telling the truth, I went to Google Maps on Mar 29 2023 and typed in 'Singapore' and there's basically no solar panels on 98+% of houses or building roofs, no solar panels mounted on the sides of apartment buildings, and when this program was recorded before May 2021, there were supposedly 1% of energy produced by solar, and then he says that they could get maybe 10-15x as much solar. Tthere's _easily_ 90x as many places to put solar panels as they're currently using. Any estimate under 40% solar panel potential production is a lie.
There are some notable exceptions, like Sembcorp Marine Learning Center, PSA Tuas Terminal, DD3 Exotic Pipe Shop, Middle Block (SF Hull Shop), Shell LOBP, which are all in the southwest corner of the island, but the northern and southern middle parts are just almost completely barren of panels.
Strategy 1: Pursue the adoption of electricity imports to access cleaner and cost-effective energy sources beyond Singapore’s borders. In the near term, electricity imports will be key to the decarbonisation of Singapore’s power sector. For long-term sustainability, Singapore will need to prioritise importing electricity generated using renewables. To ensure security of supply, Singapore will need to develop a diversified portfolio of import partnerships supported by a regional grid and trading platform as well as cost-efficient backup supply options.
Strategy 2: Develop the use of low-carbon hydrogen for power generation to decarbonise the power sector. In the medium to long term, hydrogen can potentially play a major role in Singapore’s supply mix, particularly low-carbon hydrogen. Singapore should develop a national hydrogen strategy and work with local and international stakeholders to develop a robust hydrogen supply chain, including investing in infrastructure as needed.
Strategy 3: Maximise solar deployment and use ESS to manage solar intermittency. Even though solar power is unlikely to form a large share of Singapore’s energy supply mix, innovative deployment options and utilising the latest solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies can stretch Singapore’s solar potential. To address solar intermittency, Singapore should scale up the deployment of ESS. Beyond managing intermittency, Singapore should develop capabilities in different ESS technologies which could potentially meet other system needs.
Strategy 4: Pre-position Singapore for new low-carbon supply alternatives. Given that Singapore has limited options to decarbonise its power sector, it should actively monitor developments in new supply technologies such as carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS), geothermal, biomethane, nuclear fission small modular reactors (SMRs), and nuclear fusion technologies. Building capabilities in advance will enable Singapore to adopt promising technologies quickly when they become viable.
Strategy 5: Leverage carbon markets to address residual and hard-to-abate carbon.
While mitigation should be the primary pathway towards decarbonising the power sector, it may be too costly to eliminate residual emissions if suitable options do not develop in time. Singapore should facilitate negotiations and develop local capabilities and services to support the development of international carbon markets.
Strategy 6: Create a multi-layered grid to manage the growth of DERs and improve grid reliability. The proliferation of DERs will create new challenges for the power system, requiring grid resources and control mechanisms to evolve beyond the transmission level to be deployed at the distribution level. Singapore will need to develop different layers of advanced control and communication systems and introduce physical infrastructure enhancements to achieve oversight and decentralised control of the DERS
Strategy 7: Leverage digital technologies to enhance grid planning and operations.
Singapore should capitalise on digital technologies, such as advanced modelling and simulations, AI, and ML, to improve grid planning and operations for grid reliability and efficiency.
Strategy 8: Actively manage the growth of demand to better manage the rollout of low carbon options and keep energy costs affordable. There is a need to work with key sectors to actively plan and budget the use of electricity in a comprehensive and deliberate manner. Singapore should optimise energy demand at the district level and actively explore other means such as price signals and green standards to drive energy efficiency and energy conservation.
Strategy 9: Shape end user consumption to optimise the power system. Innovative demand-side technologies such as smart energy management systems and the unlocking of demand response potential which is currently untapped due to a lack of awareness can help optimise supply and grid capacities.
Planning Paradigm 1: Build flexibility into the power system to provide optionality for Singapore to pivot across different pathways. The uncertainties that Singapore faces in its decarbonisation journey are significant. Technologies that can be deployed with minimal development time or can switch operations to other fuels quickly will allow the power system to quickly respond to changes.
Planning Paradigm 2: Capitalise on opportunities to position Singapore as a technology frontrunner and living lab for sustainable energy solutions. Singapore should harness its strong R&D ecosystem and ability to invest in nascent technologies in order to seize early mover advantage in areas aligned to Singapore’s energy needs. Leveraging its unique dense urban grid, Singapore can become a living lab for innovative sustainable energy solutions.
Conclusion
The energy transition will be highly dynamic given the uncertainty of technology and geo-economic trends. It will be especially challenging for a small, densely populated, and alternative energy-disadvantaged country such as Singapore as it balances the energy trilemma to deliver sustainable, secure, and affordable energy.
This major energy transition will invariably involve trade-offs which Singapore has to carefully manage. This would inevitably result in an increase in cost, but it is unavoidable if Singapore wants to make the energy system more sustainable and secure in a carbon- constrained future. Despite the challenges, Singapore should approach this endeavour with hope and optimism.
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Current public opinion is against nuclear because they see no cost to be against nuclear. But as electric and fuel costs continue to increase watch public opinion shift to being pro-nuclear.
What is climate change when fighter jet contaminate air more than all the house and car
PUB ....solar energy research Thomas R. .... saving tonnes
there's a name for this "experiment" its called sauna.
What about nuclear waste !!
What about it? Has it ever hurt anyone?
There Is No Shortage of Energy; There Is Shortage of Normalcy
Despite increased production of energy from renewable sources, and despite the slowdown in car manufacturing, oil prices are skyrocketing. Even though fewer power plants still burn coal, coal prices are skyrocketing, as well. Natural gas prices, too, are going through the roof, and energy demand seems to outpace supply in every country and in every form of energy. Have Earth’s energy sources dwindled so drastically in a matter of months? The answer is a resounding “No!” There is no shortage of energy; there is a serious shortage of normalcy in human relations. I hope the current crisis will put some sense into humanity’s insane consumption.
The energy crunch indicates that we are over consuming. We are producing too much, throwing the excess production to the trash, polluting the ground, the air, and the water, and then we are complaining that we do not have enough. It is about as sane as killing one’s parents and then pleading for the court’s mercy because I’ve recently been orphaned.
It is time we reconsider everything we produce-how we divide production, profits, and goods, which services are necessary and which are redundant, and most importantly, how we treat one another. The goal of this process should be clear to everyone: survival.
There is no ulterior motive, no attempt to dominate or deprive anyone of power or wealth. It is simply that reality is forcing us to take all of humanity and the entire planet into consideration. If we don’t, our entire civilization will collapse like a deck of cards.
Since we still do not understand it and insist on running things the way we have always been running them-through power games-I anticipate a very cold and gloomy winter for the northern hemisphere. The energy crunch will leave many in dark and cold houses; there will be no gas for cars, and renewable energy will not replace traditional sources since there will be little sun during the winter. I hope that at least, it will make us rethink our values. If it doesn’t, next summer will be even worse than the awful summer that just ended.
I know that many people are counting on the promise of renewable energy to solve the energy problems of humanity. I think they are mistaken. There is plenty of energy, far more than we really need. We could cut emissions by at least half tomorrow. But the more we have, the hungrier we become, so our thirst for energy will never be satiated, and we will never stop exploiting the planet or each other until we reeducate ourselves and start being humane toward each other.
We have been behaving like spoiled brats whose parents buy them whatever they want. Now, our parents have run out of money and our childhood is over. It is time for us to mature and conduct ourselves like responsible adults, caring for all of humanity the way a mother cares for her entire family. If we think like a family, we will achieve normalcy.
naaaàh we can solve this energy problem by making all vehicles greater than 400kg on the road to carry 2 batteries instead of one and discharge one of them back to the grid when its parked and not in use through outlets or wireless discharging coils placed at each parking lot...
my mp so cool
Nuclear energy is is co2 free
Its like hes nothing done hot yoga LOL
3:48
When that happens, everyone will emigrate. No one can stay here for long under unbearable heat and humidity.
Don't like Ac. Can't stand cold. I love heat.
The way to go .... borrow China's latest Thorium reactor.
Open the window and turn on the aircond. I guess their parent want to cool the whole country not their room lol.
11:00 Actually, you will be using carbon to produce the solar panels. It will only become carbon neutral when the energy produced exceeds the production and ongoing costs associated with the solar panels and the other equipment in the hydrogen-powered vehicle.
28:25 Cold air doesn’t seep out, hot air comes in.
In terms of energy generation, what ha-need to the biomethanation plant a German company built out at Tuas around 15 years ago?