Singapore, 3 October 2019 – The National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) announced today a collaboration to set up an Energy Efficiency Technology Centre (EETC) at SIT. The Centre is aimed at helping companies, in particular small and medium enterprises (SMEs), discover and implement energy efficiency improvement measures, and build up local industrial energy efficiency capabilities.

Signing the MOU for the EETC were: Mr Ananda Ram Bhaskar, Deputy CEO (Environmental Protection) of NEA, and Associate Professor Ivan Lee, Vice President (Industry and Community), SIT. Witnessing the signing were (from left to right) Er Lee Chuan Seng, Chairman of NEA, Mr Albert Chua,  Permanent Secretary of MEWR, and Mr Ronnie Tay, Deputy President (Administration), SIT. 

The EETC will catalyse the energy efficiency (EE) improvements of SMEs by increasing the accessibility of energy assessment for SMEs, as well as train a pipeline of SIT engineering undergraduates and upskill existing energy efficiency practitioners in industrial energy efficiency. SMEs on board the programme will receive a diagnosis of their energy performance and recommendation on areas of improvement, while at the same time having their staff trained in energy assessment skills for continual improvement. Individuals in the programme, including staff and undergraduates, will gain actual experience working on real-life EE cases to build up their competencies.

NEA will subsequently work with the companies to support the implementation of the recommendations through the Energy Efficiency Fund (E2F). The creation of the EETC completes the pathway for aspiring engineers and energy managers to become certified Energy Efficiency Opportunity Assessors (EEOA) and Chartered Engineers. NEA and SIT signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the EETC at the opening of the National Energy Efficiency Conference (NEEC) 2019. The Centre is set to be launched by the end of the year.

(From left to right) Er Lee Chuan Seng, Chairman of NEA; Mr Ananda Ram Bhaskar, Deputy CEO (Environmental Protection) of NEA; Mr Albert Chua,  Permanent Secretary of MEWR; Associate Professor Ivan Lee, Vice President (Industry and Community),SIT; and Mr Ronnie Tay, Deputy President (Administration), SIT, at the MOU signing ceremony for the launch of the EETC.

The NEEC 2019 is a two-day event to be held over 3 and 4 October for industry experts to share energy management strategies. At the Conference, attended by over 400 local and regional energy efficiency professionals, it was also announced that NEA is planning to launch a new grant under the E2F, to help companies in the digitalisation of their energy management systems. Energy management information systems (EMIS) can help companies more accurately monitor and analyse their energy usage using real-time data, to identify performance gaps in a timely manner, as well as opportunities for continual performance improvement. The E2F will provide co-funding support to the companies for the installation of such systems. More details on the grant will be released at a later stage.

As an island-state vulnerable to rising sea levels, global warming and resource scarcity, tackling climate change is an existential challenge and a pressing priority for Singapore. Singapore is committed to doing its part as a responsible global citizen, and the two new initiatives are part of measures to help Singapore meet its Paris Agreement pledge to reduce our emission intensity by 36 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030, and stabilise our emissions with the aim of peaking around 2030. Minimising energy wastage can also produce economic benefits for companies, such as cost savings and an enhanced reputation in a business environment that is increasingly becoming more sensitive to environmental image.

Associate Professor Ivan Lee, Vice President (Industry & Community), SIT, commented, “SMEs typically lack the capabilities and resources to identify and implement energy efficiency improvement measures. As Singapore’s University of Applied Learning, SIT aims to build up expertise and capability to meet the demand of SMEs for energy services, so as to improve their business sustainability and lower energy costs. Additionally, the energy assessments at SMEs will provide valuable practical learning opportunities for SIT students to be future EE practitioners.”

National Energy Efficiency Conference

The theme of this year’s NEEC is “Enhancing energy management for sustainable growth”. The Conference put a spotlight on energy efficiency and management as a focus area for companies, in a global environment where both consumers and businesses are placing increasing emphasis on sustainability. The conference also provides a platform for dialogue and thought leadership around Singapore industrial sector’s use of energy, and highlights the latest technical innovations and solutions to improve energy efficiency.

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Energy Efficiency Technology Centre

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) typically lack the capabilities and resources to identify and implement energy efficiency (EE) improvement measures. Hence, there is a need for more support for SMEs to improve their EE, to help them reduce energy costs and become more competitive.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) is collaborating with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) to set up an Energy Efficiency Technology Centre (EETC). The EETC will provide EE services to SMEs, and also serve as an EE capability development centre. The EETC is aimed at achieving the following three outcomes, which would address both short and long-term capability building needs in the local EE ecosystem:

• Catalyse EE improvements at SMEs through the provision of energy consultancy services;
• Train a pipelines of engineering undergraduates in industrial energy efficiency; and
• Upskill existing engineers or EE practitioners through provision of practical hands-on training courses.

The Centre is set to launch by end-2019.

Catalysing EE Improvements in SMEs and Building Industry Capabilities

The EETC will offer attachment programmes to SIT engineering undergraduates. SIT students from relevant engineering programmes (e.g. Building Services, Mechanical and Manufacturing, Electrical Power Engineering) will receive hands-on learning opportunities during their training programme by performing energy assessments at participating industrial SME facilities. These students will receive guidance and technical support from the EETC’s professional staff. Participating SMEs would receive professional grade energy assessments at a low cost. The EETC will offer a promotional rate of $1,000 per energy assessment for the first 20 participating SMEs.

The EETC will also offer an EE Upskilling Programme (EEUP), which will provide practical, hands-on training to complement classroom-based theory for engineering professionals to obtain skills in energy management and in performing energy assessments of industrial facilities. In addition, the EETC will organise various EE courses, masterclasses, workshops, seminars and conferences for industrial EE professionals.