The Straits Times Blogs - Jessica Cheam

Energy's the topic of the week

2009-11-20T12:10:00Z

Jessica Cheam is impressed by the enthusiasm at Singapore International Energy Week.

BARELY recovering from hosting the Apec 2009 summit last week, Singapore played host to a lesser-known but equally interesting conference this week — the Singapore International Energy Week.

The annual conference, in its second year, saw bigwigs from the energy industry such as Pulitzer Prize-winning author Daniel Yergin descend on the city-state to exchange ideas and engage in debates on energy issues.

If I could sum up one theme that spoke for the entire week of events, it would be this: innovation.

Dr Yergin, chairman of the IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates and author of a prize-winning book on the history of the oil industry aptly noted that while the 20th century was the century of oil, the 21st century will be the century of energy innovation.

"This intense push for innovation is drive by two powerful forces - the quest for clean energy and the need to provide energy for economic growth," he said.

"The reality is nowhere more vivid than in Asia, the centre of economic growth," he observed.

That spirit of change is truly in the air. While moderating a panel discussion on the second day of the Energy Week at a dialogue organised by the Energy Studies Institute (ESI) and Royal Dutch Shell, I found the speakers, and members of the audience, often going back to the theme of renewables.

Principal fellow at the ESI, Dr Michael Quah, gave a rousing presentation on how the world must transit to one that runs on renewable energy - there is no other option.

While it took billions of years for the earth to create finite, fossil energy, we are using it up at an extremely unsustainable rate.

But while we would all like to convert to renewable energy, it is still unavailable on a massive scale and this is likely to be fully achieved only in the medium to long term, perhaps in 50 years, he said.

In the meantime, countries must grasp low-hanging fruits such as energy efficiency to make their economies leaner, while pumping research and development money to bring clean energy to the masses, said the panel members.

There are also some "transition" fuels that we could use while on the journey towards renewables, such as natural gas and its different forms (which are less polluting than crude oil) which could be tapped on.

This is something energy firms like Shell are innovating in, says Shell executive vice president Tan Chong Meng, who spoke on how we need to move from simply talking about our energy challenges, to actually acting on solutions that exist today.

This is achieved by maximising oil recovery, broadening the energy mix and reducing the carbon intensity of fossil fuels through technologies such as carbon, capture and storage (CCS), he suggested.

As part of the Singapore International Energy Week, the Clean Energy Expo Asia opened on Wednesday, and Singapore's Energy Market Authority (EMA) announced an interesting test-bedding project to power one of Singapore's well-loved island, Pulau Ubin, completely with renewable energy.

The initiatives came fast and furious after this: EMA also launched a smart grid pilot project to be implemented at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the Jalan Bahar Cleantech Park to make our grids more intelligent.

Singapore's solar energy research institute opened its doors and will invest $130 million into the industry in the next five years. Electric vehicles will arrive by next year so we can collect data and learn how to implement them on a wider scale.

So even as the week of activities have come to an end, the issues that were discussed and initiatives put in place will have an impact that will last well into the next year.

And it is an exciting period of time. It seems like the energy landscape is on the cusp of a green revolution, and Singapore has done well to position itself right in the middle of this rapidly-evolving sector.

As EMA's chief executive Lawrence Wong aptly puts it: If Singapore makes the right move, it will provide the platform for new products and services, spur energy innovations, and completely transform the shape of the energy industry in future.

On the road to saving more fuel

2009-05-12T09:33:00Z

Jessica Cheam ponders the challenge of fuel efficient driving in Singapore.

I DIDN'T know this, but apparently if all the drivers in the world today drove in such a way that reduced their fuel consumption by 10 per cent, the world will save 100 billion litres of fuel in a year.

This is a number not to be scoffed at, given that easy oil supplies are running out and the climate change threat looms large.

Ever since I started covering the environment beat, my car has been a constant source of guilt, but given that I live in a transport blackhole where going to work takes me one and a half hours by bus, and there's no MRT line where I live, I've guiltily held on to my mobility, which is so important for my job.

But to do my part, I have been putting into practice some fuel efficient driving techniques such as not accelerating too quickly, not braking hard, turning off the air conditioning, and driving smoothly, in the hope that my fuel consumption would drop, so would my emissions.

And last weekend, my driving skills were truly put to the test by Shell's recently launched "Get the Most Out of Every Drop" campaign, which aims to get drivers to put in practice certain driving habits and techniques which will help them save fuel, and in turn, save money.

I was in Lausitz, eastern Germany to cover the 25th Shell Eco-marathon Europe, where 202 teams from universities across the world entered vehicles to race against each other to see who can go the longest distance with the least amount of fuel and emissions.

The National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and ITE College West each sent a team to compete - a record number for Singapore at this event, and all three teams did really well in their categories. It was great to see the youth getting involved in such projects, especially with renewable, emerging technologies such as solar and hydrogen fuel cells, which powered the NTU and NUS teams' vehicles respectively.

On the sidelines of the eco-marathon, the international journalists invited to the event was put to the "Fuel Save One Litre Challenge" where we "raced" on this track to see who can achieve the best mileage with one litre of fuel.

I was pretty nervous initially, because in Germany, the driver is on the left hand side, while in Singapore we drive on the right. To top it off, it was a manual drive VolksWagen car, which put to test my clutch-and-motor skills (one that has not been tested for awhile in automatic Singapore!), but in the end, I didn't have to worry. I got used to it after one round around the track, and I had an expert "Fuel Save" driver, Helen Taylor, to guide me through the obstacle course.

Jessica tries to get the maximum distance out of one
litre of fuel with guidance from record-holder for
fuel economy Helen Taylor from Australia.
ST Photo: Jessica Cheam

Together with her husband John Taylor, Helen had set a Guinness World Record for fuel economy who travelled 28,970 kilometres (18, 000 miles), around the world, using only 24 tanks of fuel.

They were partly sponsored by Shell, who provided its Fuel Economy fuel for their journey. This fuel, which is available only in Europe at the moment, claims to help drivers achieve better mileage.

The message to drivers is simple: You can drive more using less. And why not, when it goes easy on your pocket, saves fuel and is better for the environment?

After going four rounds around the track, where I had to simulate a "normal journey" for a driver where I picked up luggages, stopped the car, dropped it off, and even cleaned the car's windscreen, I came in second place! Achieving a mileage of 21 km per litre of 4.7 litres per 100 km. The winner was a magazine journalist from Hong Kong, who achieved 22 km per litre or 4.3 litres per 100 km.

To achieve this, I had turned off my engine whenever possible, changed my gear upwards as soon as possibly, and avoided braking hard or going too fast and it paid off. The end result was a 38 per cent savings from the normal fuel consumption of the vehicle I was driving, I was told!

Now, the challenge is to translate this savings to my driving in Singapore. If I succeeded, I could shave off $57 each month of my $150 fuel bill, and save $684 annually. The problem is, I don't think automatic cars can be as fuel efficient as manual-type cars.

Also, driving in Singapore is a harrowing event, as many of you might know. It's the only country where if you indicate your intention to filter into another lane, the car behind speeds up NOT to let you in.

The result: You have to accelerate to quickly change lanes, or brake hard, when you realise that someone is not letting you in. If every driver drove in a fuel efficient manner, I think the roads in Singapore would be much safer and a far more pleasant, courteous place to drive in.

Still, I was determined to put in practice what I had learnt in my "Fuel Save" challenge and I did not let any other cars rush me while I drove to work. By applying the same principles as in the challenge, I'm sure I can reduce at least 10 per cent of my fuel consumption.

Never mind that my partner taunts me about "driving like a girl" every time I take to the wheel. If I can achieve 10 per cent, surely everyone else can. And if everyone else can, it would save us 100 billion litres of fuel a year, according to Shell, not to mention a hefty sum of money.

Usually, I'm pretty skeptical about what oil giants spew about fuel efficiency, but Shell is on to something here. It's not stupid, it knows that if drivers save fuel, it means less revenue for them.

But their strategy is a different one, where they are encouraging the right kind of driving, and winning over drivers, in order to get a bigger market share. From a wider perspective, the careful use of transport fuels can only be a good thing for everyone since our global supplies of fuel is declining just as the vehicle population is about to explode from demand from China and India.

Electric vehicles are a potential mode of transport that could significantly reduce our emissions, but until we get to the point of mass commercialisation, it makes sense to put our existing resources to efficient use.

In that spirit, I have included some fuel saving driving tips here for you to try the Fuel Save challenge out for yourself. Happy Driving!

20 tips for you and your car

1 Service your engine

Did you know a poorly maintained engine can increase your fuel consumption by up to 50 per cent? Just replacing dirty spark plugs can improve your fuel consumption by up to 5 per cent.

2 Keep your tyres at the right pressure

If your tyres are under inflated by just 1psi, your fuel efficiency can be reduced by up to 3 per cent. So pump up those tyres up once a week or whenever you fill up.

3 Avoid carrying excess weight

For every extra 100 lbs (45 kg) you carry, your fuel efficiency can drop by 1 to 2 per cent. So clear your car of unnecessary items that just add weight to your vehicle when you can.

4 Take the roof rack off

If you’re not using your roof rack or your roof box, remove it. A roof rack can affect the aerodynamic efficiency of your vehicle, creating drag which can result in your car using up to 5 per cent more fuel.

5 Check the air filters

Air filters keep impurities from damaging your engine. Replacing a clogged air filter can help improve your fuel economy by as much as 10 per cent and can help protect your engine.

6 Use the correct oil

Using the manufacturer’s recommended lubricant can help improve fuel efficiency by 1 to 2 per cent. Higher quality motor oils can also help your engine operate more efficiently.

7 Check the seal on your fuel cap

Fuel evaporates every time you open the fuel cap. Make sure your cap is properly screwed on every time after every fill up.

8 Plan your trips

Cutting down on the time spent in the car is the easiest way to conserve fuel. To reduce driving time, combine all your short trips and errands into a single journey or call ahead to avoid wasted journeys.

9 Keep hydrated

Don’t forget to drink water. When you’re well hydrated, you concentrate better. Keep a bottle to hand as you drive and make sure you drink your recommended eight glasses a day.

10 Keep calm

That way you’ll be able to drive smoothly and anticipate what’s going on ahead of you. When you keep calm, you also drive with plenty of distance between your car and others.

11 Drive smoothly

If you drive aggressively, you can burn up to a third more fuel than if you drive smoothly. Avoid accelerating or braking too hard and try to keep your steering as even as possible.

12 Use higher gears

When you drive in higher gear, you’ll use less fuel, so change up a gear whenever you can.

13 Keep the windows closed

Wind blowing through an open window can slow you down. And, to compensate, you’re likely to speed up. Instead of opening windows why not use your car’s internal ventilation system, just so long as this doesn’t make you feel drowsy.

14 Use cruise control

Using cruise control on major roads can help you maintain a constant speed and helps you make all those drops count.

15 Avoid excess idling

Stuck in a jam? Idling gets you nowhere, but still use up fuel. Turn the engine off when you’re in a queue until you need it. As a rule, if you’ve stopped for over 10 seconds, switch off your engine.

16 Avoid over-revving

Change gear in good time when you pull away or when you’re accelerating. Never ‘redline’ the rev counter.

17 Avoid high speeds

The faster you go, the more wind resistance you’ll encounter and the more fuel your vehicle will consume just to maintain speed. Remember that according to the UK Department of Transport figures, at 70mph you could be using up to 30 per cent more fuel than at 50mph. So keep it slow.

18 Use air-conditioning sparingly

Sometimes it’s hard to avoid using your air-conditioning, but remember that it does put added strain on your engine on hot or cold days. And, it can increase your fuel consumption by up to 8 per cent. On temperate days, you can always use your car’s internal ventilation system instead.

19 Avoid rush hour

If you can travel outside of peak times, you’ll spend less time stuck in traffic and use less fuel as a result.

20 Keep a constant speed

Instead of coasting when you reach a downward slope, maintain steady engine revs. This will help you to maintain a constant speed rather than picking up speed and is likely to have a positive effect on your fuel consumption.

Tips from: www.shell.com.sg/everydrop.

Climate crisis OUR problem

2009-02-20T22:00:00Z

Jessica Cheam ponders over the world's energy challenges.

TRAVELLING in the past, used to be a guilt-free, exciting adventure for me, regardless of whether it was for a holiday or for work.

But ever since I began covering climate change, some aspects of travelling began to plague me in ways I never imagined it would.

Take my recent work trips to places like Calgary and Abu Dhabi for example. I went there with a mission to uncover more about our energy challenges but whilst on my journey, I was also fully aware of the energy my polluting airplane was consuming, and the carbon footprint my travels left on the planet - an irony, considering I was writing about climate change.

So today, I forked out about 30 British Pounds (that's about $70) to offset my flight from Singapore to Calgary. This was done easily, quickly, and online at ClimateCare - a unit of investment bank JPMorgan, which allows people to offset their flights by buying carbon credits generated by projects that the company oversees from China to Brazil to Uganda.

These are the same people that British national daily The Guardian uses to offset the flights taken by their staff. The carbon credits that ClimateCare sells are verified by a United Nations-approved body, and their projects range from renewable energy projects like wind farms in China's Heilongjiang, to promoting efficent stoves in Cambodia to reduce charcoal burning.

This picture shows the solar panels covering the roof of the Vatican's Paul VI audience hall. Some 1000 photovoltaic panels were installed on the football field-sized roof and should generate sufficient electricity to supply all heating, cooling and lighting of the 6300 seats' building. -- PHOTO: AFP

After you've paid for your offsets, calculated by their flight calculator, they send you a certificate - within 5 minutes. If you have no idea how it looks like, you can view mine here:

This is only one example of how consumer behaviours have changed, how businesses have reinvented, and how the world is experiencing a revolution.

This year - 2009 - will mark a crucial year in the history of mankind, grandiose as it sounds. But the stakes are indeed very high.

Climate change effects such as change in water patterns, sea levels rising - a great concern for Singapore - and extreme weather events were only some of the problems that the world will face if no action is taken. And we're already seeing some happen.

But the truth is, the man-in-the-street today is not likely to be perturbed by the climate crisis. Sea levels at East Coast appear the same as it's always been. Myanmar's cyclone, Australia's bushfires, well, that's on another continent. More realistically, the issues foremost on the mind will be the global economic and financial crisis. This is the mindset that no doubt will be the strongest obstacle that world leaders and climate change campaigners will face in inking a global deal in Copenhagen at the end of this year to get nations to reduce emissions and put a price on carbon.

That got me thinking - why should today's energy challenges matter to you and me. Why should we care?

After all, countries like Singapore have uninterrupted, instant supply of energy anywhere we want it. Turning on a light, cooking a meal, or driving a car comes easily to us that we don't even think about it.

The thing is, thinking about our climate crisis involves an important element of foresight. Those living "in the now" probably couldn't care less. I guess the world will have to rely on those who do possess some hindsight, or those who might not be a tree hugger but have a basic respect for planet earth, and who want to see all the world's countries and economies morph into a more sustainable one.

A view of a windmill farm recently built on the edge of Lake Nicaragua in Rivas, Nicaragua, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2008. Energy Minister Emilio Rappaccioli said the $90 million project will be operating at full capacity by the end of January and contribute 6 percent of the country's total energy needs. -- PHOTO: AP

I can only imagine, that when people actually do see, physically, the effects of climate change such as the flooding of East Coast and all of Singapore's coastal properties, the time for action will then be too late.

Hopefully, though, it won't come to that.

Meanwhile, I'm going to continue off-setting my flights, whenever I can afford it. Very small gesture, on my part, and obviously, does not absolve me in my other polluting ways. But at least it's a start - the beginning of a journey towards a more sustainable way of living.

I'm looking forward to it.

Read Jessica's Saturday Special Report on climate change here and view a video of an eco-city here.

Fighting to the bitter end

2009-02-04T12:21:00Z

Jessica Cheam captures the mood at the Gillman Heights en bloc appeal.

AS A nation of home owners, few matters affect the Singaporean more than homes, or matters concerning their property.

So it comes as no surprise that many en bloc sales frequently end up being fought in the courtrooms - the High Court, and all the way up to the Court of Appeal - despite the high costs involved.

It's also no surprise that when the time came for the remaining 10 minority owners of Gillman Heights to get their appeal heard, the public gallery was packed to the rafters - with members of the audience ranging from residents, the media and the curious.

This ruling is expected to be a landmark one.

If the Court of Appeal overturns the High Court's previous ruling which supported Gillman's en bloc sale, the estate will go down in local history as a rare case of failed en blocs, and the repercussions will be far-reaching. It will likely give hope to a growing number of minority owners who above all, value the right to own their homes.

If it rules in favour of the majority, it will go a long way towards demarcating the criteria and legislation surrounding collective sales. It will also end a two-year long saga and owners will finally be able to get their money and get on with their lives.

It would appear, after Tuesday's two-hour long hearing, that the fight facing minority owners' is an uphill one.

Senior Counsel Michael Hwang, engaged by law firm Tan Chin Hoe & Co to act for the minority owners, argued his case eloquently, but not without difficulty as he was questioned repeatedly by all three judges. He argued that collective sale law, introduced in 1999, had not been intended to cover HUDC estates.

Another point of contention is the calculation of the development's age. This date determines if the estate needs an 80 or 90 per cent level of consent to qualify. Currently, 80 per cent is needed if the development is more than 10 years old; 90 per cent if it's less than 10 years.

Mr Hwang argued that because Gillman Heights obtained its certificate of statutory completion only in 2002, it requires a 90 per cent level of agreement. (About 87.54 per cent of owners have said yes to the collective sale.)

This second point proved a hard case to fight. The judges gave him a rather hard time, questioning the logic of "resetting" the estate's age according to when it obtained its CSC (certificate of statutory completion) or TOP (temporary occupation permit issued by URA when a development is deemed completed)

Mr Hwang argued that "Parliament had intended" for the "latest TOP" or "latest CSC" to be used as the date to calculate the age of the development, even for privatised HUDC estates, which only got their CSC or TOP much later. One judge countered: "It's not what Parliament intended. It's what YOU think Parliment intended." At this point, one resident (likely a majority owner) loudly, and quite rudely, sniggered from the public gallery.

Representing the majority owners, Mr Quek Mong Hua of Lee & Lee said, however, that it was an 'indisputable fact' that Gillman Heights was completed in 1984, making it more than 22 years old in 2007.

Senior Counsel Andre Yeap of Rajah & Tann, acting for the purchasers - CapitaLand, Hotel Properties and two private funds - argued that as homes in HUDC estates, upon privatisation, become strata-titled units, they are covered by the 1999 laws on collective sales. He argued that it was obvious that "Parliament had intended" this, to which one judge again countered: "That's what YOU think Parliment intended. not necessarily what Parliament intended".

By this time, the statement was becoming something of a catch phrase and drew laughter from the public gallery.

The verdict, meant to be delivered on Wednesday at 4.30pm, has since been postponed to next Monday. Ruling in favour of the minority might open previous en blocs at other former HUDC estates up for questioning. These include Waterfront View and Farrer Court.

Given that the odds seem to be stacked against the minority owners and the high costs, I asked one of them at the hearing why they were pursuing the case.

The reply: "We feel that there's a point worth arguing so we want to take it up to the highest authority... Now, we can only hope for the best".

Many have said it is "silly" to fight on such a technicality.

But while it might be obvious that the age of the development is more than 20 years, what else do minority owners have to fight on after all? Apart from the little details, what other choice do they have?

These technicalities - however silly they might appear to the man-in-the-street - are the only way for them to achieve their ultimate desired outcome: The overturning of the collective sale. And keeping their homes.

All eyes are now on the Court of Appeal's decision next Monday. The appeal will probably not change the future of Gillman Heights. It will likely be demolished, and redeveloped into a new, swanky condo.

But at least for those 10 owners, the appeal means they can truly say they did their best to save their homes.

One silver lining in this long-drawn out case, as one analyst pointed out yesterday, is that the current market situation is now in the sellers' favour.

The money each unit will get - around $870,000 to $950,000 - is much higher than what any individual unit will fetch in the open market. And the replacement home they will look for is likely to be cheaper now than when the deal was first done in December 2007.

So if the residents do lose their homes, at least they'll be paid well for it.

Obamamania grips Abu Dhabi summit

2009-01-21T07:41:00Z

Jessica Cheam on the buzz Obama's inauguration created for green activists.

In Abu Dhabi

THE second day of the World Future Energy Summit might be in Abu Dhabi - 7,000 miles away from the historic occasion that is US President Barack Obama's inauguration in the United States.

But it certainly hasn't been spared the excitement that the event has triggered, all the way from Washington across the Arabian seas.

Almost every speaker that spoke at the summit made a reference to the "historic day" that will see Mr Obama become the 44th US president. And more revealingly, every one of those speakers who evoked his name felt that an Obama administration is exactly what the world needs to achieve a more sustainable future, especially in terms of energy.

There is no doubt that Obama's global popularity have been aided by his stance on climate change and renewables. As JP Morgan's managing director of commodities, Ms Blythe Masters, pointed out to the conference, Mr Obama "ran his campaign on a promise that emphasised greatly climate change reforms".

With his inauguration, you can say industry players in what can be deemed as one of the global economy's hottest sectors is watching Mr Obama's steps very closely.

Speaking to reporters, Deutsche Bank's global head of asset management, Kevin Parker, said it was "absolutely critical" at this point in time that governments send the right price signals and adopt a consistent policy towards energy, and to a larger extent, carbon pricing to advance the renewable energy sector.

He fully expects Mr Obama to step up to the job, and complete the radical shift in stance for the US on climate change policies. This will lead to other countries having to cooperate with the rest of the world to work out a global deal, he said.

Mr Paul Dickerson, former chief operating officer from the US Energy Department, who also spoke the reporters, said there is no doubt Mr Obama's administration will herald a change in many areas.

In fact, many speakers, as capitalist and free-market as they might be, spoke of welcoming more government intervention in the renewables sector. As Mr Dickerson puts it, "it's not negative regulation, it's putting the right incentives and certainty to the market. "

"The US shot ourselves in the foot in solar and wind, by not providing certainty like governments in Japan and Germany have," he added.

Well, he - and the majority of those 15,000 delegates at the future energy summit - were not disappointed on that Tuesday night, if they were looking for "signals" from Mr Obama.

Many of these delegates spoke about the inauguration all day, and many rushed back to hotels to wolf down dinners before catching the ceremony on CNN or SkyNews at 8.30pm UAE time.

The one part of Mr Obama's speech that would have leapt out to them was this:

"For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do."

We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories - the market signals can't get any clearer than that for the US. And it seems a Green New Deal just dawned on America.

Where I was watching it in Abu Dhabi, there was a collective "hmmm" and/or nod of approval at that part of the speech. At many points in his perfectly delivered speech, rounds of clapping also broke out.

During the day, before the ceremony at one particular press conference, CNBC anchor Stephen Sedgwick had asked the room if they felt whether this current financial economic and financial crisis will be the making or breaking of a new age of renewable energies for the world.

"Those who feel it'll be the making, raise your hands," he said. In a room of almost 100, 99 per cent raised their hands. "Those that feel it'll be the breaking?" One lone hand shot up.

But it didn't matter. The optimism was infectious. It bore itself out throughout the rest of the night, and I bet - the rest of the summit, which has one day left.

It seems rather cliche, but delegates were definitely riding on a sense of hope - brought on by the momentous occasion that was the change of guard in the US administration - 7,000 miles away, though it may be.

Abu Dhabi leads the green way

2009-01-20T07:17:00Z

Jessica Cheam explains why the Middle East city is leading the way for eco-cities.

In Abu Dhabi

IT MIGHT seem like an unlikely destination where a green revolution might take place: An oil and gas-producing state with little public transport, dirt cheap oil, millions of cars and palaces built with gold.

But Abu Dhabi is proving to the world this week, just how serious it is about being the world's leader in clean technologies.

At the World Future Energy Summit, there is a stunning number of delegates. About 15,000 people have descended on the state for this conference to talk about renewable energy challenges.

The speaker's list reads like the who's who of the energy industry, from Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, to Professor Lord Nicholas Stern who penned the Stern report, and captains of industry such as chief executives of energy firms such as BP, and last but not least, environmental activists such as Greenpeace.

There is an atmospheric dynamism present at the conference that's taken me by surprise.

I remembered a couple of years ago, when Abu Dhabi announced its initiative for a zero-waste, zero carbon city of the future, many were skeptical. Critics said it'd be "all talk and no action". Even I had forgotten about it, choosing instead to focus my attention or interest on the two high profile eco-cities currently underway in China, Singapore and Tianjin's project, and Arup-designed one in Dongtan.

So when I got a call from the Masdar team out of the blue to invite me as the only journalist from Singapore to cover the World Future Energy Summit - and get a sneak preview of the construction of the eco-city, I jumped at the oppportunity.

Masdar's rate of growth is astonishing. But scarcely a year after it broke ground, Abu Dhabi's Masdar city is a thriving bed of construction, with a 10 MW solar installation 70 per cent of the way there, powering their site offices and construction activity.

The masterplan for the city was like something out of a sci-fi film, the virtual-reality video of which was shown to journalists on the way to visiting the city.

Capsule-shaped pods that run along light rail lines connect people from their homes to offices and the city centre. Residents will live in homes planned down to the very detail to be sustainable, from recycled steel, concrete, aluminium used to build the development, to the 100 per cent renewable energy powering the city. Water is provided by a solar-powered desalination plant, all waste is converted into energy and trees along the streets irrigated with grey water from water treatment plants.

I was full of anticipation when we reached the site: It was barely the semblance of a city, but activity was buzzing, foundations were laid, as builders went about their business, oblivious to the financial crisis and credit crunch gripping the world outside of Abu Dhabi.

In fact, the current global economic crisis will not dampen Abu Dhabi's efforts to create a green sector out of nothing, Madar's CEO Dr Sultan Al Jaber assured journalists. "We are looking beyond the current ecoomic downturn, all investements are proceeding," he said.

Dr Al Jaber also told the conference that Abu Dhabi has set a new renewable energy target - that 7 per cent of the Emirate's total power generation capacity by 2020. It esimates that this will create a market valued at US$6-8billion dollars in the Emirate, The estimated CO2 emissions reduction is 2.4 million tonnes per year.

The Abu Dhabi government has estimated that it needs 20,000 to 22,000 MWH to meet energy demand by 2020, and that 7% is a reasonable target that can be fufilled by solar in that time frame. It also has other initiatives outside solar, such as a joint project with BP Alternative Energy and Rio Tinto on a hydrogen power plant which will begin constrction in mid-2010, he adds.

In the next few weeks, Abu Dhabi will be announcing a "comprehensive energy policy, which will incubate the renewable energy sector, to develop an energy portfolio that is not dependent on only oil and gas", said Dr Al Jaber.

And one gets the feeling that, whatever they say they will do, it will happen. It's a dogged determination to cut through all sorts of bureaucracy to simply get things done, an approach rather similar to Singapore's administration during its boom years. It was surprising, to say the least, to find that kind of approach in the Middle East in relation to environmental initiatives and also, admirable.

Abu Dhabi's enthusiasm is, hopefully, infectious.

As Dr Pachauri put it yesterday at a press conference: If an oil and gas producing-nation like Abu Dhabi can invest so heavily and responsibly in renewable energy, it really paves the way for other firms to do the same.

In some statistics given to journalists, the Masdar city team quoted the US Department of Energy projection that by 2100, half the world' energy will be powered by renewable energy.

That's heck of a long way to look into the future and plan for it, but this is the kind of foresight that the world needs right now to implement the right policies and set the global economy on a sustainable growth curve.

I couldn't help but think what the public relations lady of a major oil company said to me recently" That it didn't invest in any renewable energies because it would be a "waste of money" into energies that are not as yet commercially viable. Its value is in its discipline, and the money it keeps for its shareholders, I was told.

I failed to see her reasoning.

True, most renewable energy sources might not be commercially viable today, but if we didn't invest in it now, the economic viability of it will be even further along in the future.

The way I see it, it's not wasting money, it's "throwing money at a problem" so it gets solved quicker. Abu Dhabi, one of the richest nations by any degree, has given the world some hope because it can afford to chuck money at a problem - and it's a problem that justifies it.

The project speaks for itself. Several eco-cities have been announced in the world, but it seems Abu Dhabi's pace of building and unfazed financial commitments is unmatched by other developing eco-cities in the world.

Dr Al Jaber's words at the summit today stuck with me: "We are doing it because we can, and because we should."

So, unlikely a destination it may be, Abu Dhabi could just be the one blazing a trail ahead for the world's next revolution. I might be too optimistic, but I hope I won't be proved wrong.

Life on Myanmar's biofuels plantations

2008-12-10T07:42:00Z

Jessica Cheam shares her insight on Myanmar's sunrise biofuels industry.

AS A clean energy reporter, I often write about new developments in technologies such as solar and biofuels, but seldom get the chance to get up close and personal with the actual process.

But just a couple of months back, I was given the opportunity to get my hands dirty, literally, when I was invited to visit a jatropha plantation in - Myanmar.

It couldn't have been a more unlikely destination, and it almost didn't happen because of cyclone Nargis. But fortunately, the damage done to the plantation was reparable and I finally made it to Myanmar where for the first time, where I could touch the plant, seeds, fruits, that I often wrote about. And spoke to the people who made it happen.

So let me give you the context of my visit: Biofuels is an industry that is both full of promise and controversy.

Singapore has a number of biofuels refineries itself, and the EDB has singled the sector as one of the key renewable energy areas important to Singapore's economy.

But on one hand, while biofuels is a key player in the world's future energy mix - one that is renewable and can make our transport fuels cleaner, its development can also lead to deforestation as it competes with food crops for arable land if not managed sustainably.

Amidst this raging debate on the sustainability of biofuels, a second generation of feedstock has emerged - one that uses non-food crops. The jatropha plant, algae, wood mass from plant waste have been singled out as some promising "fuels of the future" as they don't compete with food and can grow in hardy conditions or exist abundantly in other locations.

In Asia, many countries have particularly caught on the jatropha "fever", with China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Myanmar planting its seed extensively in the hope of riding on the wave of this sunrise industry.

But these feedstocks are also not without its risks. Most are relatively under-researched, and no one knows if full-scale commercial applications of using such feedstocks to make biofuel will be successful yet.

So it is with all these considerations that I went with my eyes wide open to visit the 100,000 acre estate at Maw Tin, in south Myanmar, to get a better understanding of how the industry and this particular feedstock works.

And my experience did not disappoint.

I was happy to learn that biofuels can be cultivated sustainably and responsibly if planned for, right at the beginning.

The plantation was eco-friendly and completely self-sufficient. It had the hallmarks of Singaporean planning and efficiency, if I might say so. And not surprisingly, it had a Singapore connection.

The plantation is the work of Singapore-listed firm Yoma Strategic Holdings, which has a unit, Plantation Resources, which manages and sells produce from this estate in partnership with a local Myanmese firm called Myanmar Agri-Tech.

The plantation has a 650-strong community, mostly local farmers, who go about planting the seeds, harvesting them, sorting the seeds out, and then re-planting them again. When I spoke to Myanmese farm worker Thin Thin Khing, she tells me of her days in the fields.

Six days a week, working from 6.30am to 11am, then 1 to 4pm. Days off for the 29-year-old are spent relaxing with her co-workers in Pathein city, less than half an hour away. She's worked on the farm for more than a year now.

Before this, she says, she had never worked before, and was mainly doing housework for her family. Now, she earns about US$45 (54,000 kyat - the local currency pronounced like "chut") a month - above the national average of US$30.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided on the farm, prepared by cooks who live on the plantation. Their food is also produced on the estate, where beans, rice, vegetables and even domestic animals such as goats and pigs are reared for consumption.

Power for the plantation comes from burning biomass (rice husks) and water is pumped from underground, making the entire plantation almost carbon neutral, save for the diesel used to power vehicles. I even spotted the kids of the farmers riding a baby elephant, which they had tamed from the wild, now used to do menial physical work on the plantation.

I visited the workers' quarters and the kampong-like huts where children and parents of the plantation workers - three generations of a family - were living together in a cosy village setting. It was all very "harmonious" living - nature, wild life, and humans, all on this plantation.

I was impressed to see the degree of planning involved in the plantation, especially how the way it was run sharply contrasted the reports from NGOs that have surfaced on how the Myanmar government's jatropha drive has backfired on itself.

Organisations such as the Ethnic Community Development Forum allege that Myanmar's junta have used forced labour or confiscated land in some locations. And has directed the entire nation of farmers to plant jatropha wherever they can, without fully understanding the climatic conditions needed to cultivate the plant successfully.

Chief executive of Myanmar Agri-Tech, Mr Frankie Tan, who oversees all of Yoma's plantations, notes that the junta’s drive has got “good intentions” but lacks a clear roadmap. Farmers are told to plant the seeds, but there is no system to collect them, and also – no refinery to convert the seeds into refined biodiesel.

This is where Yoma's chief executive Serge Pun, a Myanmar-born tycoon who made his fortune in real estate developments across Asia, wants to play a part.

He told me that he hoped Yoma's farm would be a model example for the rest of the country to follow.

When sourcing land for the plantation, Mr Pun gave strict instructions not to use arable land meant for food. The whole estate was also designed to be self-sufficient, it has an office on site and workers’ quarters for the farmers and their families. It's important for the firm to “do things right and sustainably” if it wanted to be a long-term player in the jatropha market, he said.

And now, Yoma is expanding by implementing a contract farming strategy which will make it the biggest jatropha seed collector in Myanmar. This will possibly salvage the current situation in Myanmar where farmers are stuck with jatropha seeds, but no buyers.

And there's more in the pipeline. Yoma is planning to build a biodiesel refinery in partnership with a major Korean biofuels supplier, Enertech. It will be three miles from Maw Tin, along the Yangon River, and will facilitate both domestic use and export of the biofuel - something that might save Myanmar from spending millions of its foreign reserves on fuel imports ( a top reason why Myanmar's government have embraced jatropha in such a big way). Mr Pun, who has been doing business in Myanmar for 18 years, is bullish about jatropha’s prospects, despite its critics - which is why Yoma has pumped in US$6 million into their jatropha operations in the country so far.

And from what I saw, I'm convinced biofuels can be a sustainable business if done right. The challenge is putting the regulations and/or private sector initiatives in place such that this can be ensured.

When this is achieved, a true win-win situation will benefit all parties involved - and the environment. We'll have a world with fuels that are cleaner, companies that can make a profit supplying it, and a nation of farmers who might find that a seed could be their ticket out of poverty.