THE MAGAZINE OF THE INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS, SINGAPORE

THE www.ies.org.sg

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

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

RENEWABLE ENERGY: Commercial development to pursue sustainable ini a ves to reduce carbon emissions
PLUS 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 far-
reaching 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.
16
RENEWABLE ENERGY
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.
22
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.

24

President Publica ons Manager Editorial Panel Design & layout by 2EZ Asia Pte Ltd
Prof Yeoh Lean Weng Desmond Teo Dr Chandra Segaran
Cover designed by Irin Kuah
desmond@iesnet.org.sg Prof Simon Yu
Chief Editor Dr Ang Keng Been Cover image by HDB
T Bhaskaran Publica ons Execu ve Mr Gary Chiam
Queek Jiayu Dr Victor Sim Published by
t_b_n8@yahoo.com The Ins tu on of Engineers, Singapore
jiayu@iesnet.org.sg Mr Syafiq Shahul 70 Bukit Tinggi Road, Singapore 289758
Dr Alexander Wiegand Tel: 6469 5000 I Fax: 6467 1108
Media Representa ve Printed in Singapore
Mul Nine Corpora on Pte Ltd
sales@mul 9.com.sg

02 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

February 2020
 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.
32
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 34
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 INDUSTRY NEWS
15
42
EVENTS
PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS
40
46 IES UPDATE

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.

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER 03

February 2020
INDUSTRY NEWS

SURBANA JURONG ESTABLISHES

NEW FIRE SAFETY CONSULTANCY UNIT
Surbana Jurong, one of the largest global urban, infra-
structure 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 legisla-
tion 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 sus-
tainability a core delivery objective for all its projects
globally.
Fire safety plays an integral role in a constantly evolv-
ing built environment, where buildings and infrastruc- Mr Wong Heang Fine
ture become increasingly complex and sophisticat-
ed. 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 solu-
tions, 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 estimat-
ed that one in four Singaporeans will be aged 65 and
above by 2030. Hence, the new Fire Safety Consultan-
cy 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.
Mr Christopher Tan
It will also be relevant to building owners when the
new amendments to the Singapore Fire Safety Act kick He added, “We believe that technology is an enabler
in this year. Under the new amendments, buildings of productivity and growth. Hence, we will explore
identified for mandatory upgrading will be required how we can harness our digital capabilities to fully
to install critical fire safety provisions. This applies to exploit the potential of our fire engineering expertise
older and existing buildings which have not met fire and help our clients better assess how their buildings
safety measures as stipulated in the prevailing Fire can be protected against fire”.
Code. The Fire Safety Consultancy unit will be able to
help building owners identify and address these gaps Mr Christopher Tan, as Managing Director, will helm
while balancing the costs of implementing them. the new Fire Safety Consultancy unit within Surbana
Jurong. Mr Tan was formerly Senior Assistant Com-
Mr Wong Heang Fine, Group Chief Executive Officer, missioner and Director of the Fire Safety & Shelter
Surbana Jurong, said, “With the new capability in fire Department at Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
safety consultancy, we are able to offer solutions to Mr Tan has over three decades of experience in fire
fire-proof buildings and create safe and sustainable safety governance and design, emergency planning
spaces where communities can live, work and play. and incident command.
Often, our clients tend to involve the fire safety ex-
perts at the late stages of the development, with dire “I look forward to leveraging my expertise and con-
consequences. With the new fire safety engineering tribute towards Surbana Jurong’s value proposition
expertise, we are able to mitigate fire safety risks and to deliver comprehensive and integrated suites of
ensure more pragmatic and calibrated regulatory com- professional services to our clients and partners”, said
pliance of our projects globally”. Mr Tan.

04 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

February 2020
INDUSTRY NEWS

GRUNDFOS INAUGURATES
DIGITAL LAB IN SINGAPORE
Global pump manufacturer Grundfos recently iSOLUTIONS. The new lab will make iSOLUTIONS training
inaugurated its digital lab in Singapore, the first of its much more accessible for Grundfos employees in the
kind by the industry leader in the Asia-Pacific region, as a region, providing them with a ready avenue to develop
strategic ini a ve to drive greater adop on of intelligent the necessary digital skills.
water solu ons in the region.
“With our pumps being such an important part of cri cal
The lab showcases Grundfos’ range of iSOLUTIONS products water infrastructure across the region, it is impera ve that
which leverage intelligent technology to deliver op mal not only are we offering the most cu ng-edge and intui ve
performance, greater energy efficiency and reliability. These solu ons with the highest levels of performance, our
products are used for a wide range of applica ons across employees are also equipped with the necessary skillsets to
different sectors - from water distribu on and wastewater develop and service these products”, Mr Jensen added.
treatment by water u li es, pressure boos ng and hea ng,
ven la on and air condi oning in commercial buildings, Grundfos
to industrial applica ons such as washing, cleaning and
industrial cooling. Grundfos is a global leader in advanced pump solu ons
and a trendse er in water technologies. The company
Key solu ons showcased include the Grundfos SMART contributes to global sustainability by pioneering
Digital XL DDA and DDE dosing pumps which enable technologies that improve quality of life for people and care
accurate chemical dosing across numerous produc on for the planet. Grundfos is also one of the world’s leading
processes including drinking water, wastewater pump manufacturers with an annual produc on of more
treatment, and industrial processing - reducing chemical than 17 million pump units. The company provides energy-
consump on by 5% to 19%. The lab also demonstrates efficient pumps and smart pumping solu ons for various
the Grundfos Remote Management, a secure, internet- applica ons across diverse segments including domes c
based system which intelligently monitors and and commercial buildings, industries and water u li es
manages water flows in pump installa ons through the (water and wastewater management). Grundfos also offers
interconnec vity of pumps, sensors and meters. 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 Asia-
Pacific’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 Grundfos’ new iSOLUTIONS lab in Singapore is the first such facility
driving greater uptake among its wide customer base opened by the company in the Asia Pacific region.
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”. From right, Mr Kim Jensen, Group Senior Vice President & Regional
The iSOLUTIONS lab will also play the role of a training Managing Director, Grundfos Asia Pacific Region, and Mr Tan Chee
facility for Grundfos partners and employees across Meng, Regional Product Por olio Director and Regional Business
Director, Water U lity, Asia Pacific, Grundfos, officially launch the
sales, service, and produc on, to familiarise them with Grundfos iSOLUTIONS lab.

06 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

February 2020

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 Singa-
pore. 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.
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.
Mr Damien Dhellemmes, Country President of Schnei-
der 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
INDUSTRY NEWS
green and s ll serve our customers efficiently.”
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 sustainabil-
ity and cost savings”.
The energy u li es provider currently operates Singa-
pore’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.
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER 07
February 2020
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 wa-
ter 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), along-
side its regional leadership and personnel. The XTHS
represents Xylem’s continued investment in sustain-
able water technologies, and research at the new
centre will focus on developing breakthrough technol-
ogies in water distribution and water and wastewater At the opening of Xylem’s expanded regional headquarters in Singapore
treatment. are, from le to right, Lim Tse Yong, Director, Capital Goods, Singapore
Economic Development Board (EDB); Ng Joo Hee, Chief Execu ve, PUB;
One of the first projects Xylem is pursuing at the cen- Patrick Decker, President and CEO, Xylem Inc; and Prof Reginald Tan,
tre is a collaboration with A*STAR’s Institute of High Execu ve Director, Science Engineering Research Council, A*STAR.
Performance Computing (IHPC). Xylem will combine its
world-leading expertise in water technologies with IH-
PC’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 am-
ple opportunities to innovate and collaborate with
our customers, as we work with them to tackle the Xylem will work with A*STAR’s Ins tute of High Performance
region’s greatest water challenges, including water Compu ng (IHPC) to develop a new computa onal modelling and
simula ons. In the picture are, from le to right, Koh Chong Hin,
scarcity, affordability and infrastructure resilience”,
Managing Director, Southeast Asia, Xylem Inc; Steven Leung, Senior
said Mr Patrick Decker, President and CEO, Xylem. Vice President and President, Emerging Markets, Xylem Inc; Prof
Reginald Tan, Execu ve Director, Science Engineering Research Council,
“Bringing research and development capability into
A*STAR; and Dr Lim Keng Hui, Execu ve Director, Ins tute of High
our regional headquarters in Singapore puts all of Performance Compu ng (IHPC), A*STAR.
Xylem’s market-leading technology capability in one
location, focused on the region’s water technology
and infrastructure solutions”, he added.
“We are glad that Xylem has decided to set up its re-
gional 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 con nues to work with PUB on the development and
Xylem’s new office will feature a customer experience implementa on of technologies in common areas of interest. In the
centre and a training centre, bringing together all of picture are, from le to right, Steven Leung, Senior Vice President and
President, Emerging Markets, Xylem Inc; Patrick Decker, President and
Xylem’s sales, customer support and technical capabil- CEO, Xylem Inc; Ng Joo Hee, Chief Execu ve, PUB; and Ridzuan Ismail,
ities for Southeast Asia. Director, Water Supply Network, PUB.

08 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

February 2020

“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 immer-
sive 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 on-
going 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 implementa-
on 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 glob-
al 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-
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).
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.
The report details current investor thinking, real-
world 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.
“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 report sets out recent examples of ins tu onal
investors who are se ng targets, developing
INDUSTRY NEWS
structures, thereby reducing water loss and strengthen-
ing 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 collab-
ora 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, Direc-
tor, Capital Goods, Singapore Economic Development
Board (EDB).
Xylem first entered the Singapore market in 1982 and
has since grown and expanded its facilities. The exper-
tise 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 pow-
erful portfolio of digital solutions to optimise water
networks.
All images by Xylem Inc
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.
“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.
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 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 SINGAPORE ENGINEER 09
February 2020
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 Some of this happens right at the wells, some occurs
gas in the ba le against climate change – both as a during processing and from storage tanks, and some is
bridge toward a lower-emissions future and a contributor from the distribu on system. Thus, a variety of different
to greenhouse gas emissions. kinds of monitoring systems and mi ga on measures
may be needed to address the different condi ons.
Natural gas, which is mostly methane, is viewed as a
significant “bridge fuel” to help the world move away Much a en on has focused on so-called “super-
from the greenhouse gas emissions of fossil fuels, since emi ers,” but even these can be difficult to track
burning natural gas for electricity produces about half as down. Dr Klemun pointed out that a small frac on of
much carbon dioxide as burning coal. point sources contributed dispropor onately to overall
emissions in many data sets.
However, it is itself a potent greenhouse gas, and can
leak from produc on wells, storage tanks, pipelines, In order to come up with targeted detec on and repair
and urban distribu on pipes. Increasing its usage will programmes, addi onal data with high spa al resolu on,
also increase the poten al for such “fugi ve” methane covering wide areas and many segments of the supply
emissions, although there is great uncertainty about how chain would be needed.
much to expect.
The researchers looked at the whole range of
Recent studies have documented the difficulty in even uncertain es, from how much methane is escaping to
measuring today’s emissions levels. This uncertainty adds how to characterise its climate impacts, under a variety
to the difficulty of assessing natural gas’ role as a bridge of different scenarios. One approach placed strong
to a net-zero-carbon energy system, and in knowing emphasis on replacing coal-fired plants with natural gas,
when to transi on away from it. for example; others increased investment in zero-carbon
sources while s ll maintaining a role for natural gas.
This inspired MIT researchers to quan fy melines for
cleaning up natural gas infrastructure in the United The best choices and exact melines are likely to
States or accelera ng a shi away from it, while vary depending on local circumstances, but the study
recognising the uncertainty about fugi ve methane frames the issue by examining a variety of possibili es
emissions. that include the extremes in both direc ons — that is,
toward inves ng mostly in improving the natural gas
The study shows that in order for natural gas to be a major
infrastructure while expanding its use, or accelera ng a
component of the na on’s effort to meet greenhouse
move away from it.
gas reduc on targets over the coming decade, present
methods of controlling methane leakage would have to “A certain amount of investment probably makes sense
improve by anywhere from 30 to 90 per cent. to improve and make use of current infrastructure, but
if you’re interested in really deep reduc on targets, our
The study also finds policies that favour moving directly
results make it harder to make a case for that expansion
to carbon-free power sources, such as wind, solar,
right now,” said Prof Trancik.
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.
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 Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and it currently leaks from produc on
somewhere between 1.5 per cent and 4.9 per cent of the wells, storage tanks, pipelines, and urban distribu on pipes for natural gas.
amount of gas produced and distributed. Photo: MIT

10 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

February 2020
 INDUSTRY NEWS

BARANGAROO SOUTH NAMED AUSTRALIA’S

FIRST CARBON NEUTRAL PRECINCT
The precinct of Barangaroo South, located in Sydney, reducing
is officially the first in Australia to be carbon neutral. disposable coffee
Lendlease, its developer, received the cer fica on awarded cups and using
by the Australian Government in December 2019. compostable
food packaging
In its press statement, Lendlease noted that the buildings for takeaway.
and infrastructure in the precinct were designed and
delivered to contribute to and meet climate posi ve There is also high
targets and carbon neutrality. demand for the
precinct’s end
The basement, for example, services the en re precinct of trip facili es,
and is as large as one of the 42-storey office towers that which are one of
sits above it. It includes a district cooling plant that saves Sydney’s largest,
approximately 40 Olympic-sized swimming pools of water and support for
every year, and a waste management system that can help ac ve transport
divert over 5,400 tonnes of waste from the landfill. including cycling.
To reduce carbon at Barangaroo South, Lendlease “We’ve been
focused on three strategies: crea ng carbon
• Avoid – through be er building design, efficient neutral buildings Barangaroo South is Australia’s first carbon-
neutral precinct. Photo: Lendlease
infrastructure, and educa on and behavioural ini a ves. and places long
before it became industry prac ce. Our approach to
• Reduce – implement on and off-site low carbon and sustainability is a key differen ator for us and has helped
renewable energy sources. us secure our pipeline projects around the world which is
• Mi gate – purchasing or providing condi ons for now approaching $100 billion.
carbon offsets to cover emissions.
“Without our strong partnership with the New South
In support of the carbon neutrality ini a ve, many Wales government and the hard work and determina on
of the 20,000 workers at the precinct have embraced of our people, this feat would never have been possible,”
sustainability ini a ves including reducing single use said Lendlease Group CEO and Managing Director, Mr
plas cs and products from food offerings in the precinct, 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.
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 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.
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.
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 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

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER 11

February 2020
INDUSTRY NEWS

NUS SCIENTISTS CREATE WORLD’S

FIRST MONOLAYER AMORPHOUS FILM
Researchers from NUS have synthesised the world’s can be grown on many different substrates including
first one-atom-thick amorphous material, which was copper, gold and stainless steel.
previously thought to be impossible.
“MAC is much more hardy and cheaper to make
Known as monolayer amorphous carbon (MAC), this than conventional crystalline two-dimensional films.
major research breakthrough was led by Professor The laser-assisted deposition process through which
Barbaros Özyilmaz, Head of the NUS Department of MAC is synthesised is already commonly used in
Materials Science and Engineering. The results were industry. Hence, we can grow a large-area, defect-free,
published in the pres gious scien fic journal Nature on 8 monolayer film on a wide variety of substrates with
January 2020. high throughput and at low temperature,” explained
“Amorphous materials are of great technological Prof Özyilmaz.
importance, but surprisingly, they remain poorly This makes MAC a poten al low-cost material to address
understood from a basic science point of view. This industry needs, and for some applica ons, it may be an
breakthrough allows for direct imaging to reveal how alterna ve to two-dimensional crystals such as graphene.
atoms are arranged in amorphous materials, and could
be of commercial value for ba eries, semiconductors, For example, ultrathin barrier films are sorely needed
membranes and many more applica ons,” said Prof in many industries — for next-genera on magne c
Özyilmaz. recording devices, copper interconnects, flexible displays,
fuel cells, ba eries and other electronic devices.
These atomically-thin sheets of amorphous carbon
are synthesised by using a laser vaporising a carbon- However, the performance of conven onal amorphous thin
containing precursor gas into an atomically fine mist. films is poor when made very thin, and other atomically-
This turns the carbon precursors into highly reac ve, thin films cannot be produced according to stringent
energe c species which immediately form a MAC film industry standards without compromising their quali es.
when they hit the surface of almost any substrate. “Our monolayer amorphous films not only achieve the
Despite having a disordered atomic structure, MAC is ul mate thickness limit, but also do not compromise on
capable of some truly incredible behaviour. Dr Toh Chee uniformity and reliability, and are generally considered
Tat, the first author of the paper, said, “What is amazing viable for industry,” said Prof Özyilmaz.
about MAC is that it exhibits some proper es that are
The research team will be studying the many possible
totally different from tradi onal monolayer materials.”
applications of this material and will be collabora ng
One such excep onal property is that MAC films can with industrial partners to accelerate its commercialisa on.
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.
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 Researchers at NUS Physics, CA2DM and Materials Science and Engineering have created the world’s first atomically
its key proper es. Also, MAC 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

12 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

February 2020

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
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
INDUSTRY NEWS
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.
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.
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER 13
February 2020
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.
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.
14 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER
February 2020
With his extensive
exper se, Mr Johnson will
support the Secure Power
leadership team transi on
in 2020, con nuing as an Mr Pankaj Sharma
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.
“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.

POWERGEN ASIA AND ASIAN UTILITY WEEK
UNITE UNDER THE ENLIT BRAND
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 mar-
ket-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 Direc-
tor, 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.
2020 ASHRAE Winter Conference and AHR Expo
ASHRAE concluded a successful 2020 Winter Con-
ference 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 edi-
on 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-
EVENTS
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.
“Enlit is a fantas c new brand for what is the most important
and comprehensive event por olio for the global energy indus-
try. 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 Mel-
bourne in August, Asian U lity Week and POWERGEN Asia in
Jakarta in September, and European U lity Week and POWER-
GEN 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 Knowl-
edge 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 develop-
ment 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 glob-
al 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.
tured more than 300 presenta ons, with a new track
on Big Data and Smart Controls, where session topics
included smart sensor technologies, occupant be-
haviour 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 ract-
ed 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.
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER 15
February 2020
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 rein-
forced 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 an-
nounced 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
Economic Development Board (EDB), aggregating pub-
lic 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

16 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

February 2020
 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 aver-
age, these HDB blocks are able to achieve net-zero ener-
gy 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

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER 17

February 2020
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 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

February 2020

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 cer-
fied by the Building and Construc on Authority (BCA).
Keppel Land, the owner and operator of Keppel Bay Tow-
er, 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 in-
stalled 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 build-
ing’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 solu-
ons 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 signifi-
cantly 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 sustain-
ability 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 combin-
ing 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”.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
“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 consump-
on to below 100 kWh/m2 per annum, which would result
in Keppel Bay Tower being 50% more energy-efficient com-
pared 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 con-
sump 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 sustain-
able 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 un-
secured 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 Frame-
work, which is in line with the Green Loan Principles
(2018) administered by the Loan Market Associa-
on and the Asia Pacific Loan Market Associa on.
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER 19
February 2020
20 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER
February 2020
THE STRUCTURAL AWARDS 2019

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER 21

January 2020
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 com-

pany 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-the-
art 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 infra- An exterior view of the REC Group’s facility in Singapore.
structure as well as specialised produc on equipment.
This step amounts to an addi onal 600 MW of hetero-
junc 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.
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 crit-
ical 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 electric-
ity 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
REC Group has commenced produc on of REC Alpha Series solar panels.
know that only with big leaps, the global energy transi-
on can thrive. Alpha is a crucial tool for homeowners
to do exactly this and gain energy autonomy”, said Steve to do this. With close to 10 GW of REC solar panels man-
O’Neil, CEO, REC. ufactured and installed worldwide to-date, genera ng
almost 13 TWh of clean energy and empowering more
“It is a bold move jumping to HJT, and it is also very bold than 16 million people at their homes, REC Group is a
to do 600 MW in one shot - but being bold and innova- credible advocate for the global energy transi on”, said
ve is in REC’s DNA. And Singapore is the perfect loca on Shankar G Sridhara, Chief Technology Officer, REC.

22 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

February 2020

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 semi-
conductor 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 in-
dustry. 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 half-
cut 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.
An aerial view of REC Groups’s manufacturing site in Singapore, with its own solar array mounted on the roof.
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 en-
gineering. 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.
“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. Ad-
vanced 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 sustain-
ability. 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.
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER 23
February 2020
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 Associa-
on for Renewable Energies) and its Luxembourgian sec-
on honoured eight nominees from six different coun-
tries 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 municipali-
es, solar architecture, commercial companies, local or
regional associa ons, renewable energy installa ons, ed-
uca on and voca onal training, one world coopera on,
and special achievement.
In his welcoming address, Henri Kox, former head of EU-
ROSOLAR Luxembourg and newly designated Minister of
Housing, stated, “The Energy Transi on is a major chal-
lenge 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 sustain-
able. 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, empha-
sised 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 Luxem-
bourg, 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, mu-
nicipal companies, associa ons and organisa ons, archi-
tects, 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.
24 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER
February 2020
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.

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 en-
ergy security and minimises ecological
impact. The ecovillage uses Perma-
culture design to integrate green
buildings, woodlands, organic agri-
culture, 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.
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 High School for Health Professionals,
Luxembourg
Category: Solar architecture and urban planning
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 el-
bruck 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
RENEWABLE ENERGY
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.
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.
grey energy, the focus lies on reducing the total ecologi-
cal footprint of the building.
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 foot-
print. 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.
The solar panels and the thermal collectors are integrat-
ed 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 ex-
ample of what can be achieved in sustainable construc-
on with teamwork, dedica on and a common goal.
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER 25
February 2020
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 so-
lar 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 with-
in 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.
26 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER
February 2020
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 car-
bon-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-in-
sulated 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 en-
ergy 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 re-
search and implement tasks such as sustainable mobility,
communica on, and the selec on of building material.
They cooperate with other projects in the neighbour-
hood of Buiksloterham as well as with innova ve compa-
nies 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 car-
bon-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. Chang-
ing to a geothermal heat pump and dis-
posing of the fuel heater will save 7,000
litres of fuel annually and reduce carbon emissions Combining the old with the new keeps within the tradi-
by 21 t. It also decreased the total energy need by on of EUROSOLAR founder Hermann Scheer, who spoke
approximately 35%, from 84,400 kWh per year to at the inaugura on of one of Rome’s largest photovoltaic
54,700 kWh per year. The North-South facing PV systems near St Peter’s Church in 2008. St Franziskus
installa on has a performance of 90 kW. It produces Ebma ngen is a role model for harnessing the solar
78,900 kWh per year which amounts to an energy supply poten al of churches everywhere and, one might say, for
of 221% of the church’s energy needs. 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 creat-
ing a green home for students coming
to Austria from all over the world,
‘mineroom’ integrates renewables into
everyday life and makes an impact This amounts to an annual reduction in carbon emis-
on what is perceived as the standard way of living in sions of 12,600 kg.
society.
‘mineroom’ is an example of Austria’s leading role
‘mineroom’ is constructed almost entirely from in eco-friendly construction. It was built by the
timber, the only exception being the entrance area, OeAD-Housing Office in cooperation with the Gemein-
the basement and the two staircases. The outer walls nützige Wohn- und Siedlungsgenossenschaft Ennstal
of the residence consist of a timber frame construc- and the city of Leoben. The green design was created
tion with a mineral wool-finish. About 1,900 m³ of by the architects from AAP Architekten ZT-GmbH.
wood were used for supporting the structure and the ‘mineroom’ opened its doors after only 11 months
facade, thereby binding approximately 2,000 tons of construction in October 2016 and has since been
of CO2. A photovoltaic system on the roof accounts raising international students’ awareness of the role
for the building’s energy supply. It consists of 388 PV of renewable energies in sustainable housing and a
modules which produce 105,000 kWh energy per year. low-carbon future.

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER 27

February 2020
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 en-
ergies. 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% decen-
tralised, 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 produc-
tion and as a result create jobs and spread renew-
ables. SUNfarming is cooperating with local educa-
tional 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
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 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER
February 2020
long-lasting economic contribution. The SUNfarming
Solar Training Centres in Peru, South Africa and Syria
have already trained several hundred people in elec-
trical 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 every-
where. 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 #Climat-
estrike 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 organ-
ised 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.
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 contribu-
on to raising the awareness for the climate crises and
the need to create a low carbon future, including switch-
ing to 100% renewable energies.

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 ener-
gy 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 togeth-
er. 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 domi-
nant 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.
ENERGY ENGINEERING
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 consump-
on 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 roof-
tops, reservoirs and offshore spaces. Besides increasing
our clean energy supply, solar will improve energy securi-
ty by tapping on alterna ve energy sources.
More energy storage for more solar
Energy storage can address solar intermi ency and en-
hance 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 award-
ed 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 communi-
es, 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 land-
scape for sustained growth.
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER 29
February 2020
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 weath-
er 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
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) (Contri-
bu 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 cli-
ents, 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
30 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER
February 2020
the same amount of space required for deployment.
The project will also develop a Smart Distributed ESS
Management System (SDEMS) designed for Singa-
pore’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 Uni-
versity
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 spear-
heading EcoCampus, a research, design and develop-
ment 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 upgrad-
ing 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 pro-
gramme 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, Swit-
zerland. The annual mee ng brings together more than
3,000 global leaders from poli cs, government, civil soci-
ety, 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 societ-
ies 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 street-
lights 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 street-
ligh ng infrastructure, including individual and grouped
control over the streetlights with just a few clicks, allow-
ing 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 Con-
gress 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 Signify has upgraded the ligh ng at the Congress Centre in Davos and
leaders every year is taking such a major step forward. is upgrading the streetlights in the city, with high quality, energy-
It is encouraging to see this next move, but the world efficient LEDs.

32 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

February 2020

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
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
PROJECT APPLICATION
of luminaires for professionals and consumers. This
technology consumes less energy in material extrac on
and manufacturing and has a 47% lower carbon foot-
print 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 ben-
efits at EUR 1.8 trillion by 2030, which translates into a
GDP increase of as much as seven percentage points.
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 real-
me displays of guest requests and room condi ons.
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER 33
February 2020
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 enter-

tainment mall situated in Sunway City, Selangor, Ma-
laysia. 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. The indoor ice-ska ng rink within the mall.
An internal energy audit further highlighted the ineffi-
ciencies of the poorly designed system. The overall plant 0.54 kW/TR or less. This allowed the management to
room efficiency registered only in the 1.10 - 1.20 kW/TR reduce the project payback period to 4.3 years, instead
range, and the ageing chillers were unable to chill water of 4.8 years.
to the intended temperature efficiently.
Op mising the built environment
Incen ves from the Sustainable Energy Development
Authority (SEDA) Malaysia further bolstered the man- Sunway Pyramid awarded the contract to Johnson Con-
agement’s decision to phase out the inefficient chillers. trols, a global technology provider in building technolo-
Under the SAVE Program, Sunway Pyramid could receive gies and solu ons.
a rebate of about USD 430,000 to offset the purchase of In its search for a replacement solu on, Sunway Pyramid
eight new energy-efficient chillers, each able to achieve had s pulated several criteria:

34 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

February 2020
 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 consump-
on annually.
• Ensuring no down me and minimal inconvenience to
retailers and shoppers during the retrofit.
Against this backdrop, Johnson Controls designed an in-
tegrated solu on that included the Metasys so ware and
YORK YK centrifugal chillers - a combina on that op mis-
es 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 cool-
ing, 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 deci-
sions 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 chlo-
rine-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 equip-
ment 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 cu-
lous 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 se-
quen al replacement, star ng with the outermost unit.
Assembling the new chillers on-site was an intricate un-
dertaking. 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 un-
loaded 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.

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER 35

February 2020
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 avail-
able 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 exist-
ing incoming busbar loca on. This required precise fabri-
ca 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 retrofit-
ting 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 manage-
ment 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 tar-
gets 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 whop-
ping USD 338,000.
Reducing carbon emissions is an important corporate so-
cial 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, Alvin Ng David Kirubi
Johnson Controls.
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
Adis Peukpa anaruks Jack Yeo
Manager, Indonesia and Fam Wee Chean, Country
General Manager, Malaysia.

36 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

February 2020

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 de-
scrip 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. To-
day, power and water leaders can leverage AI technol-
ogy 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 to-
wards prescriptive analytics which suggests actions
based on the predictions.
One example of predictive analytics is predictive main-
tenance. AI can predict the state of the equipment in
advance so that maintenance can be scheduled. This
addresses sustainability and reliability issues of facil-
DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
Mr William Yong Mr Narsingh Chaudhary
ities like water networks and power grids, while miti-
gating 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 ex-
tracted. 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 util-
ities, 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 fail-
ures, and improving the operational efficiency of facil-
ities 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.
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER 37
February 2020
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 knowl-
edgeable 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. Exper-
tise from a variety of disciplines in the organisation
will be necessary to provide insights into the data pat-
terns 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, imple-
mentation, 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 de-
termine what op mum performance looks like. Once
performance baselines are established, anomalies can be
detected with enough confidence to provide expert ad-
vice or perform AI control. Most u li es do not yet have
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.
38 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER
February 2020
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, enter-
prise-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 dif-
ferent components of the water infrastructure lifecycle.
Risk assessment, investment planning and perfor-
mance analysis are some key business objectives that
AI applications are addressing in the water sector.

One AI applica on that has been considered is the cre-
a on of a digital representa on of water treatment and
distribu on infrastructure, and embedding AI into a dig-
ital 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 counter-
part, 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 assis-
tance to enhance customer experience, without increas-
ing the bills to fund improvements, by op mising per-
formance 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 gen-
erated 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 tech-
nologies 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 opportuni-
es to improve the way energy is produced, transmi ed
and consumed, they also introduce opera onal complex-
i 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 stor-
age 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, de-
mand 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
DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
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 equip-
ment 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 com-
pany, 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 sig-
nificant 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 mis-
ing 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.
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER 39
February 2020
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 NEA will be donating to a WFEO project on capacity
recognised for its outstanding engineering feat in the building for climate change education in the Small
development of Semakau Landfill. Islands Developing States (SIDS). The donation, which
will fund training and teaching aids for climate change
NEA received the 2019 Hassib J Sabbagh Award for
awareness in schools, underscores NEA’s and MEWR’s
Engineering Construction Excellence, from the World
(Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources)
Federation of Engineering Organizations, at an award
commitment to international and regional cooperation
ceremony held in late November 2019, in Melbourne,
for climate action, and in supporting developing coun-
Australia. This prestigious international award affirms
tries in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
the role of engineering in sustainable development.
Mr Tan Meng Dui, Chief Executive Officer, NEA, said,
Underlining the theme for the 2019 Award, which was
“Achieving this award is a significant milestone, par-
‘Sustainable Development for Smart Cities’, Semakau
ticularly for a relatively young organisation like NEA.
Landfill showcases how sustainable waste manage-
The timing of the award is also special and gratifying,
ment can co-exist with flora and fauna. The develop-
as we celebrate Semakau Landfill’s 20th anniversary
ment of Semakau Landfill, the first offshore landfill in
this year. We are honoured to receive this award,
the region, is proof of Singapore’s innovative spirit and
and proud of our engineers who have combined their
strong engineering capability, in response to the twin
inventiveness with sheer determination and hard work
challenges of Singapore’s growing waste generation
to great effect, in developing Singapore’s first offshore
and severe land constraints. This unique approach to
landfill. The current generation of NEA engineers
waste management balances national development
stands on the shoulders of the past generation. This
and biodiversity conservation in an environmentally
award is therefore also a recognition of the industry
sustainable way.
and pioneering spirit of the engineers and leaders that
have come before us. I hope this award will inspire
Semakau Landfill’s Success Story everyone in Singapore to all do our part and work to-
Launched on 1 April 1999, Semakau Landfill achieved gether to preserve Semakau Landfill and lengthen her
several engineering feats, including in deep-sea piling lifespan beyond 2035”.
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 develop-
ment, 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 An outstanding engineering feat.
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 Aerial views of Semakau Landfill. All images by Na onal Environment Agency.

40 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

February 2020
 ENVIRONMENT & WATER ENGINEERING

Replanted mangroves at the Northern plot. Replanted mangroves at the Southern plot.

The Eastern bund.

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER 41

February 2020
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 connec-
vity 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 ex-
tend 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 eleva-
tor 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 differ-
ent devices, apps and services with new and exis ng sys-
tems. For elevator passengers, this brings a host of new,
mul sensory experiences inside the elevator, combining
physical hardware and digital services. These can be cus-
tomised 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 agree- With the KONE DX Class, the role of elevators in future smart buildings
ments with a number of companies to bring new levels is expected to change.
of sophis ca on to the people flow experience.
• 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 eleva- The new KONE DX Class elevator incorporates a variety of new design
tor range. op ons and innova ons, including the an -fingerprint feature.

42 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

February 2020
 PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS

SIEMENS ENABLES HOLISTIC

ENERGY DATA ANALYSIS IN BUILDINGS

At this year’s Light+Building 2020 trade show, to be held in ma on from presence detectors, for example, it can be
Frankfurt, Germany, from 8 to 13 March 2020, Siemens Smart determined if energy for ligh ng, hea ng or air condi-
Infrastructure will present the first energy management solu- oning is being used in temporarily unoccupied parts
on that holis cally captures energy data in buildings. of the building. If electrical systems such as elevators or
escalators consume an unusually large amount of elec-
It collects data all the way to the final circuit without any tricity, this can be similarly compared with the mainte-
addi onal wiring or space requirements. All electrical data, nance intervals defined in the building management. If
from the power feed-in to the socket outlet, can then be necessary, these must be shortened to avoid expensive
seamlessly integrated into building management systems repairs and breakdowns.
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). Real- me energy data analysis via app
The new Sentron ‘powermind’ app analyses energy
Operators and users gain maximum transparency over their data directly in MindSphere, the cloud-based, open IoT
energy flows and benefit from end-to-end digitalisa on. opera ng system from Siemens. Users see a real- me
overview of current energy consump on and trends over
Digitalisa on of electrical installa ons me - both for en re systems as well as for individual
With the new 5SL6 miniature circuit breakers (MCB) and electrical loads. The app is easy to use and requires no
5SV6 arc fault detec on devices (AFDD) from the Sentron specific IT skills, allowing even inexperienced users to
por olio, Siemens brings digitalisa on to electrical enter the world of digital energy management.
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 install-
ers 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 The new electrical installa on devices from Siemens combine protec on
and measurement func ons in a single unit.
so ware consolidates building and energy management
in one single pla orm. Version 4.x can be used as a stand-
alone 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 ‘powerman-
ager’ analyses electrical parameters such as voltage, cur-
rents 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 en-
ergy 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 All the energy data from the The new Sentron ‘powermind’
by e-mail or text messages (SMS) of irregulari es in energy electrical installa on can be app analyses energy data directly
consump on or unusual system behaviour. connected to analy cs tools and in MindSphere, the cloud-based,
digital environments through open IoT opera ng system from
In addi on, integra on in Desigo CC enables regression the new 7KN Powercenter 1000 Siemens.
analyses. By comparing consump on data with infor- gateway.

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER 43

February 2020
PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS

INNOVATIVE HVAC SOLUTION

RECOGNISED GLOBALLY
Carrier recently announced that it received its fifth Carrier, a unit of United Technologies Corp, is a leading
major award for the Carrier AquaEdge 19DV wa- global provider of innovative heating, ventilation and
ter-cooled centrifugal chiller in just over a year. Most air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security
recently, the company received accolades for the and building automation technologies.
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 technolo-
gy, 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 envi-
ronmental impact while also providing industry-lead-
ing efficiency. The 19DV’s EquiDrive two-stage back-
to-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-sav-
ing hot water production. The 19DV also provides free In 2019, the Carrier AquaEdge 19DV water-cooled centrifugal chiller
cooling, a strategy for leveraging natural air tem- was recognised as a top chiller by leading organisa ons across four
peratures, which can result in thousands of dollars in major regions of the world.
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 diagnos-
tics, 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 The 19DV’s low-speed EquiDrive compressor technology allows for load
in 2016 and was subsequently introduced to other cancella on - resul ng in bearing technology that lasts the life of the
regions, earning a reputation for reliability and effi- chiller.
ciency. 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 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
The 19DV is the most environmentally responsible chiller Carrier has
SEC-Senoko Green Innovation Award at the Singapore ever made. That is due to world-class efficiency and the use of the ultra-
Environmental Achievement Awards. low GWP refrigerant R-1233zd(E).

44 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

February 2020

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 per-
formance 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 sav-
ings, while improving comfort for occupants by ensur-
ing 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 electrici-
ty 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 tempera-
ture, 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).
PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS
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 reli-
able and efficient energy u li es services.
About 1.6 million industrial, commercial and residen al
customers in Singapore benefit from SP Group’s world-
class 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 li-
es, 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 great-
er 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 net-
works 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, pre-
dic 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, comfort-
able 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 45
February 2020
 IES APPRECIATION &
AWARDS NIGHT AND
SPRING FESTIVAL 2020
Every year, IES acknowledges the efforts and The evening’s activities were rounded out with
contribu ons of its volunteers through the Apprecia on perennial favourite Bingo, which got everyone excited
& Awards Night. This year, the ceremony was held on as they looked out for the numbers flashed on the
6 February 2020 at Qian Xi (Farrer Park) Restaurant, screen that determined if they had the fortune to
located at Civil Service Club @ Tessensohn. bring home some chocolate, hampers, or wine bottles
this year.
It was also an occasion to gather and usher in the Year of
the Rat, with the Spring Fes val celebra ons being held Some guests also made use of the venue’s karaoke
concurrently, adding to the fes ve atmosphere in spite of system, bel ng out tunes both classic and contemporary,
the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) situa on. entertaining all who were s ll present.
Precau onary measures were taken to ensure peace It was a great celebra on indeed, both of the past year’s
of mind amongst the 250 guests, IES staff, and the efforts, as well as the advent of the new year. Cheers to a
restaurant workers. Temperature screenings were successful 2020 ahead!
conducted, all guests submi ed their travel declara ons,
and hand sani sers were readily available.
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
Prof Yeoh receives blessings from the lions on behalf of all members. May
Dis nguished Public Lecture, which was put everyone have good health and wealth in 2020!
together within two months and a racted more
than 1,000 par cipants.
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
Lou hei for a prosperous and successful year ahead!
the benefit of all engineers.

46 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER

February 2020
 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 Some of the lucky Bingo winners ge ng their slips verified by our
Tan before the dinner. 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 47

February 2020
 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 Charles Rudd Dis nguished Public Lectures Organising Commi ee
Technology

Prof Chong Tow Chong, Singapore Charles Rudd Dis nguished Public Lectures Organising Commi ee
University of Technology and Design

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