Clean Technology

Singapore’s growth as a major oil refining centre is the fuel behind the development of the energy industry.

Having identified renewable energy as an area of focus, we have invested in the cultivation of clean energy as a new growth area for Singapore. With an initial funding support of SGD 350 million from the government, Singapore’s clean energy efforts are focused on R&D and testbedding of applications, grooming Singapore-based enterprises, and developing manpower.

Appropriate to our geographical position in the tropics, Singapore’s clean energy efforts are largely focused on solar energy. Singapore’s strong foundation in semiconductors also serves us well in the solar energy sector. Apart from solar energy, other areas of exploration include water recycling and treatment, biofuels, wind energy, tidal energy, energy efficiency and carbon services. To bring to fruition our initiatives in clean energy, the Clean Energy Programme Office (CEPO) was established as an inter-agency government workgroup to coordinate and execute strategies. One of the main projects launched by CEPO is the SGD 17 million Clean Energy Research and Testbedding Programme as a launchpad for R&D.

Our efforts have also attracted major players in the water and environment sector, including:

• Norwegian firm, Renewable Energy Corporation (REC), has invested some S$6.3 billion into building the world’s largest single integrated solar manufacturing plant which will be able to produce up to 1.5 GW of solar wafers, cells and modules a year, when completed.
• Vestas Wind Systems, the world's top wind technology company, has set up its regional headquarters and global R&D centre in Singapore, with and plans to invest up to S$500 million over the next 10 years to develop its largest R&D centre outside of Denmark here. 

The water sector is also a burgeoning one, with the lack of clean drinking water being one of the most urgent global problems. The value-added contribution of the water sector to the GDP is expected to rise to S$1.7 billion in 2015. To date, we have attracted many major international players in the water sector to Singapore, including General Electric, Nitto Denko, Siemens and Veolia. We have also been successful in creating a conducive environment for the growth of local companies such as Hyflux, which operates one of the world’s largest membrane-based seawater desalination plants in Singapore, and SembCorp Environmental Management, the largest waste management company in Southeast Asia.

Read more about the Singapore’s clean technology industry here and a special report here.

Download factsheets for Clean Energy and Water Technology.