SIEW 2013: Remarks by Mr Kng Meng Hwee, Deputy Chief Executive, Energy Market Authority, at the PV Asia Pacific Expo Conference 2013

(Photo credit: Energy Market Authority)

Mr Adnan Amin, Director-General, IRENA, Prof Armin Aberle, Chairman of the PVAP Conference, Dr Shi Zhengrong, Co-chairman of the Conference, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Introduction

Good afternoon and a warm welcome to Singapore. This is the third year that the PV Asia Pacific Expo (PVAP) Conference is being held as part of the Singapore International Energy Week or SIEW. As the organiser of SIEW, the Energy Market Authority of Singapore (EMA) is happy to see the PVAP Conference emerging as one of the leading solar conferences in the region, with a focus on thought leadership, financing and technology.

As Asia’s energy demand increases in tandem with economic growth, we believe the PVAP Conference would provide a good platform for regional governments and the solar industry to work together to cater to the region’s power needs.

Developments in Renewable Energy and Solar PV

Renewables are now the fastest-growing sector in power generation, and is expected to make up almost a quarter of the global power mix by 2018. The International Energy Agency forecasts that by 2016, global renewable energy generation will overtake gas and double that of nuclear, making it the second most important source of electricity after coal. This is due partly to falling costs, driven by technological improvements and economies of scale in production.

In the case of solar energy, Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts that 36.7 GW in new solar PV capacity will be added worldwide in 2013. This growth can be attributed mainly to Asia. China alone has set a target of 10 GW of new solar projects in 2013 - more than double its previous target. It also plans to install 35 GW by 2015, compared to a previous goal of 21 GW.

The growth in the Southeast Asian market, while much more modest in comparison to China, should also be noted. For example, Malaysia and Thailand plan to have 1.3 GW and 3 GW of solar PV respectively by 2021. The Indonesian government has also plans to increase the number of solar plants in the country to 153, with 36 new solar plants in the pipeline for 2013.

Solar Energy in Singapore

In Singapore, about 90% of our electricity is generated from imported natural gas. The other 10% is a mixture of petroleum products and municipal waste. There is about 12 MWp of solar PV installed in Singapore currently and this number is likely to grow as the cost of solar technologies comes down.

There are however some limitations to the extent solar technology can be adopted in Singapore. These include our limited land area for solar farms, much cloud cover and changes in weather conditions that can cause intermittency and impact the stability of the power grid. It is thus unlikely that solar can ever supply the bulk of our electricity needs.

Nonetheless, EMA is committed to address these constraints which will enable us to maximise the deployment of solar when it becomes commercially viable. EMA is currently reviewing the regulatory framework for intermittent generation sources. We launched a consultation paper yesterday to seek feedback on areas such as procedures for installing intermittent generation system, market participation, and the threshold and limit for intermittent generation.

EMA is also test-bedding a micro-grid at Pulau Ubin to assess the reliability of electricity supply within a micro-grid infrastructure using intermittent renewable energy sources like solar energy. We are also collaborating with various parties such as the A*STAR Experimental Power Grid Centre (EPGC) and NUS Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) to better understand how intermittent energy sources can be integrated into our energy system and electricity market without compromising overall grid stability.

Conclusion

Thank you.