Singapore Announces Increased Investment in Clean Energy
Optimistic about the development prospects of the clean energy market, the Singapore Economic Development Board announced on the 26th that it will allocate an additional S$180 million (approximately US$118 million) to develop new clean energy products and focus on cultivating clean energy talents in the next five years.
According to a report from Channel News Asia on the evening of the 26th, the Singapore Economic Development Board believes that due to rising fuel prices, Singapore needs to focus on developing the clean energy industry. In addition, Singapore also wants to become a global clean energy center, attracting clean energy companies from all over the world to come to Singapore to incubate, develop and develop solutions to clean energy problems, not only for Singapore, but also to export their clean energy products to Rest of the world.
According to the clean energy industry development blueprint that Singapore has announced, Singapore has recently established an office responsible for clean energy development plans. It will focus on providing funding for some clean energy plans, establishing a world-class research center in Singapore, and cultivating necessary talents to provide Singapore with The development of the clean energy industry provides a powerful impetus.
With support from the Singapore Economic Development Board, the Engineering Department of Temasek Polytechnic has established a 17-member fuel cell consortium to continue the development and trial of a battery currently being trialled in Singapore that runs on electricity generated by the combined production of hydrogen and oxygen. car.
In addition, a S$5.5 million (approximately US$3.618 million) fuel cell application center being built at Temasek Polytechnic will be completed in November this year. At that time, companies engaged in research in this area can test their early-stage products at the center.
Singapore has always attached great importance to the development of clean energy. In order to solve the problem of vehicle exhaust, Singapore actively promotes the use of compressed natural gas buses and taxis. The government and several private companies joined forces to launch natural gas buses and taxis as a pilot program in 2002. The purpose was to establish the feasibility of operating natural gas buses and taxis, while also evaluating the performance of natural gas vehicles and their impact on the environment and energy conservation. aspects of the impact. In addition, Singapore has also launched a tax preferential scheme for environmentally friendly vehicles to encourage people to buy environmentally friendly vehicles. In 2006, the Singapore Environment Agency announced that it would extend the tax preferential scheme for environmentally friendly vehicles until the end of this year, and increase the tax rebate from 20% of the open market value that car owners can enjoy to 40% from this year.
Since the beginning of 2006, the number of environmentally friendly vehicles in Singapore has surged nearly nine times in one year, from 26 in 2005 to 248 currently. This figure does not include the 104 compressed natural gas taxis, 12 natural gas buses, 3 natural gas commercial vehicles and 1 electric vehicle currently on the road.
Recently, the Singaporean government announced that it will invest S$170 million (approximately US$111 million) in the next five years to promote the research and development plan of clean energy, especially solar energy. The goal is to bring the clean energy field to it by 2015. It will add S$1.7 billion (approximately US$1.118 billion) in value and create 7,000 jobs.