How Singapore Is Trying to Build a Climate-Proof City | Momentum

Singapore's Net Zero Goal and Solar Energy Initiatives

• Singapore has transformed itself from a colonial trading port to a global city in just a few decades, becoming Asia's richest country with a high per capita GDP and world-class infrastructure (2s).
• Despite its success, Singapore faces challenges such as balancing economic growth and environmental sustainability, and addressing the existential threat of climate change as a low-lying tropical nation (30s).
• To mitigate the impacts of climate change, Singapore aims to achieve Net Zero by 2050 and is shifting from imported natural gas to renewable energy, with a focus on harnessing solar power due to its limited options for hydro and wind power (2m23s).
• Singapore has increased its solar capacity by over a thousand times in the last 15 years and is exploring innovative ways to deploy solar panels, such as on reservoirs, to overcome its land constraints (3m9s).
• The city-state is home to one of the world's largest inland floating solar farms, Tenge, which has over 120,000 solar panels and is run by Singapore's National Water Agency PUB and state-owned company Sembcorp (3m15s).
• The floating solar farm is part of Singapore's efforts to future-proof itself, addressing high demand for energy and the climate crisis, and reducing its carbon footprint, which is expected to more than double by 2065 (3m49s).
• The electricity generated by the solar farm is used to power PUB infrastructure, reducing 32,000 tons of carbon emissions, and the deployment of solar panels on reservoirs also reduces evaporation and helps store rainwater for longer (5m19s).
• Singapore's floating solar farm has a capacity of 60 megawatt peak, which can power about 16,000 flats and reduce carbon emissions equivalent to taking 7,000 cars off the roads annually (5m30s).
• The success of this solar farm has given confidence to try it out in other reservoirs, with plans to implement large-scale floating solar farms at two more reservoirs over the next five years, aiming for a combined capacity of more than 150 megawatt peak (5m57s).
• The planned expansion is expected to power an additional 40,000 flats, and the experience gained from this project can be replicated in other countries, with key takeaways including optimizing land space and multifunctional use (6m31s).

Floating Solar Farm Technology and Expansion

• The solar farm was designed to maximize efficiency, with a minimal maintenance requirement over 25 years, and relies on data analytics and predictive analytics to ensure efficiency and optimal performance (7m9s).
• The solar panels are angled at 5°, which allows for the best performance, as it enables sunlight and air to flow through, and also improves biodiversity, water quality, and wind direction (7m42s).
• A comprehensive environmental management and monitoring plan is in place to address concerns about the impact of the solar panels on water quality and wildlife, including camera traps and water quality monitoring stations (8m58s).
• The data collected from the solar farm is translated into analytics, which monitor losses and are used to make improvements, with a focus on science-driven and data-driven decision-making (9m53s).

Diversification of Renewable Energy Sources

• Singapore's solar capacity has grown significantly over the years, but due to limited space, solar energy is unlikely to form a large share of the city-state's energy mix, and the city-state will still need to import renewable energy from other countries (10m33s).
• Natively generated renewables could account for over 6% of Singapore's energy mix by 2050, and hydrogen could be a major renewable source (10m54s).
• PUB, Singapore's National Water Agency, is collaborating with American startup Equatic on a $2 million demonstration plant for carbon capture and hydrogen production (11m13s).
• Equatic's technology aims to mimic the ocean's natural carbon removal process, but in a faster and more efficient way, while also producing hydrogen as a clean fuel (11m26s).
• The technology works by pumping seawater into the plant, breaking it down into hydrogen, oxygen, and two streams, and then capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through a reaction that forms solid carbonates and dissolved bicarbonates (11m43s).
• The discharged seawater is treated to preserve the same chemical composition as the ocean, avoiding damage to the marine ecosystem (12m21s).
• The demonstration plant will capture about 3,650 metric tons of carbon dioxide and produce over 100 tons of hydrogen annually (12m56s).
• However, ocean CO2 removal technologies like Equatic's are still in their infancy and costly, with long-term impacts on the marine environment not well understood (13m5s).

Sustainable Housing and Urban Development

• Housing is another key area in Singapore's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, with 80% of the population living in government-built flats (13m33s).
• The Housing and Development Board (HDB) has launched its greenest project, Tengah New Town, which will be the first HDB town planned with smart technologies from the beginning (13m49s).
• Tengah New Town will feature a car-lite town center, smart lighting, automated trash collection, and a solar-powered centralized cooling system, an eco-friendly alternative to conventional air conditioning (14m8s).
• The HDB has used 3D environmental modeling software to create the blueprint for Tengah, simulating the effects of changes in wind, temperature, and sunlight on buildings and their surroundings (14m56s).
• The aim is to find the best way to mitigate the urban heat island effect and create a more sustainable living environment (15m13s).
• Singapore has implemented the Integrated Environmental Modular (IEM) technology, which simulates environmental parameters before actual construction starts, allowing for the study of various parameters such as wind flow, shading, ambient temperature, humidity, and thermal comfort levels (15m39s).
• The IEM technology was used to design Singapore's first smart and sustainable district, Punggol, which features a staggered building layout to introduce wind flow and natural ventilation (16m0s).
• The district's design was translated from the virtual world to actual development, taking into account different physics, including wind flow, to create a comfortable and enjoyable environment for residents (16m8s).
• The IEM technology allows for the study of multiple parameters at once, enabling AI and planners to optimize building layouts before construction starts (16m50s).
• This approach is cost-effective, as it reduces the need for separate software for different environmental modeling studies (17m10s).

Green Urban Planning and Biophilic Design

• Singapore is using smart technology to strategically deploy mitigation measures to address heat-related issues, given its limited land space (17m31s).
• The Housing and Development Board (HDB) is also focusing on increasing greenery, as vegetation can reduce air temperature and provide shade (17m50s).
• Singapore plans to plant a million more trees by 2030, with the goal of creating an evergreen forest town in Punggol (18m12s).
• Punggol is designed using biophilic design, a concept that aims to reconnect people with nature and provide a holistic, science-based approach to providing greenery (19m0s).
• The biophilic town framework considers five aspects: soil, water, flora, fauna, and outdoor comfort, with a focus on creating comfortable and enjoyable spaces for residents (19m41s).
• The application of biophilic design in Punggol can be seen in the planting of trees and the creation of comfortable outdoor spaces (20m1s).
• In Singapore, trees are planted in alignment with the wind flow during the prevailing Monsoon months to provide more breeze for pedestrians, especially in areas where people engage in outdoor activities (20m14s).
• Efforts are made to ensure that public spaces are well-shaded from the sun, either through greenery or neighboring buildings that cast a shade, to combat the high temperatures in the city (20m35s).
• The design and greenery in Singapore's public spaces help lower temperatures significantly, creating a difference between towns that have been designed with such efforts and those that have not (21m5s).
• Residents in Singapore spend a lot of time outdoors, and public spaces are enjoyed by people across different times of the day, with families coming together to appreciate nature and have a greater quality of life (21m29s).

Tengah New Town and Future-Proofing Singapore

• The new town of Tengah will provide 30,000 public housing units and 12,000 private housing units when fully developed, with over 5,700 apartments already delivered to buyers (21m53s).
• However, Tengah has faced initial problems, including issues with the cooling system and limited transportation, which are being addressed by the relevant authorities (22m9s).
• Singapore's urban landscape is meticulously planned, with a focus on environmental sustainability and urban convenience, creating a city of the future (22m41s).
• While Singapore's efforts to future-proof itself may not be replicable to larger countries, smaller places facing similar problems can learn from its approach (23m5s).