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  Straits Times 6 Jun 07
Solar energy takes on a new shine in Singapore
By Jessica Cheam

MORE than a decade ago, a business consultant suggested that the street lights, walkways, parks and common areas in Housing Board estates be powered by solar energy. For the bold 'green' idea he submitted for a contest, Mr Joseph Wee, 31, won $1,000. Petrol company BP, intrigued by his vision, dangled $40,000 before the universities for scientists to research ways of making it a reality.

But the hype fizzled out.

In the years that followed, Singapore's potential as a base for a thriving solar industry was brought up in public debate time and again, only to be dismissed each time. 'Too much cloud cover' and 'too expensive' were cited as reasons.

But today, the word 'solar' has taken on a new shine. The Government has given it a stamp of approval, and has pumped money - to the tune of $170 million - into research and development, specifically on solar technology.

The big-picture goal now goes far beyond just being 'green': By growing a whole new solar energy sector, Singapore will be able to attract global talent and technology here to help power a $1.7 billion clean-energy industry by 2015 - and create 7,000 new jobs along the way.

The bright prospects stem from the tumbling costs of solar technology in recent years.

Mr Christophe Inglin, managing director of solar systems integrator Phoenix Solar's Asia-Pacific office, said the explosion in German solar technology - the country is among the world leaders in the field - has brought this about.

National Research Foundation chairman Tony Tan's recent trip to leading clean-energy institutions in Europe was a clear signal of how seriously the Government was viewing the potential of the solar-energy industry.

Dr Tan noted at the close of his trip that the industry was achieving 'grid-parity' - meaning that it would soon be as cost-efficient to generate electricity from the sun as it is from the conventional way of burning fossil fuels.

Falling costs of solar technology aside, another factor hastening the development of this industry here is the high cost of oil, which, together with gas, are Singapore's main sources of energy.

Burning expensive fossil fuels like these becomes even more unattractive when one considers that it raises global levels of carbon emissions, the devil behind global warming and climate change.

Singapore recently set a target to reduce its carbon intensity - the amount of carbon dioxide emissions per GDP dollar - by 25 per cent by 2012 compared to 1990 levels.

The final lure of solar energy lies in the money to be made.

Leading US research firm Clean Edge has reported quick growth in the global clean energy market, with annual revenues climbing from $40 billion in 2005 to $55 billion last year. This is projected to hit $226 billion by 2016.

The market for solar photovoltaics - the science of converting sunlight into electricity - is projected to grow from last year's $15.6 billion to $69.3 billion by 2016.

Another good reason for going into solar energy is that consumers are ready for it.

Mr Joseph Wee may have been a man ahead of his time, but an eco-friendly conscience is catching on now.

And people are now more able to afford clean technologies, with prices being driven down by competition. A 1 sq m solar panel capable of generating 100 to 140W of power now costs between $750 and $1,100, with the cost depending on how it is installed - a big drop from the past. But this will fall further, said Mr Amiram Roth-Deblon, business development manager for German solar firm Suntechnics' Asia Pacific office.

Regionally, the market is growing. Even as Germany, the United States and Japan pull ahead in solar technology, Malaysia has attracted US-based solar firm First Solar to its shores. A 200-megawatt capacity solar-module manufacturing plant, to be completed by this year, will help lower prices in Asia. In Seoul, the world's largest solar power plant, which will be able to generate enough power for 6,000 households in a year, will be completed by next year.

Does Singapore have what it takes to succeed? About 20 home-grown and foreign solar firms are already based here, not including many others in the more specialised field of solar thermal systems, which use the sun to heat up water.

The managing director of local R&D firm Solar2D, Mr Derek Djeu, believes that as a research test-bed and regional base, the Republic remains an attractive destination. Mr Djeu, who is developing a solar-power efficiency booster - which maximises the amount of sunlight a solar module can absorb - said he has received strong support from the Economic Development Board and local educational institutes.

But the real challenge for Singapore is not just in attracting talent for research, but in creating a local market.

Phoenix Solar's Mr Inglin said: 'Local companies must develop the expertise needed in installing solar systems. Without local business opportunities, we will not attract enough talent.'

It will not do to leave this to the private sector alone. Government incentives and policy changes will be necessary, say those in the field.

Germany's phenomenal growth in the field, for example, was primarily powered by a government programme of subsidies to encourage the adoption of solar systems.

Besides incentives, legislative changes can also help. Changes can be made to building codes, or laws can be enacted to make solar hot water systems mandatory, suggested Mr Roth-Deblon.

The Singapore Government is now considering a policy that pays users of solar energy for feeding their surplus power back to the grid.

Changes like this take time. Mr K. E. Raghunathan, an Indian national who recently set up a solar module manufacturing plant in Tuas, said: 'Public awareness only comes if people can see, feel and touch the technology.'

Surprised by the lack of solar products in the market here, Mr Raghunathan, chairman of Eco-Solar Technologies, has given himself the job of 'bringing solar to the people'.

It will not be long before Singaporeans will be able to buy Eco-Solar's solar-powered fans, light fixtures, sign boards, torch lights, and even mobile phone chargers at petrol kiosks.

'There is great potential here. And we have the advantage of knowing what has worked, and what has not, in other countries,' he said. Mr Inglin agreed: 'Singapore does not have to start from scratch. We can catch up by adopting the more successful strategies.'

Singapore's attitude towards solar power may have had a tentative start, but the consensus now is that it will dig in. Mr Inglin said: 'Let's just hope it will not take another 10 years to see some results.'
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