Got a plan to harvest solar energy?

Today Online 21 Aug 08;

SINGAPORE’S Clean Energy Programme Office (Cepo) is making an international call for research and development proposals to develop solar harvesting devices and systems for the tropics.

The reason? Most systems today are optimised to operate under temperate climates, in countries such as Germany and Japan, home to some of the largest global markets for solar energy.

There is, however, a lack of solar systems tailored for hot and humid tropical climates. With this grant call, which comes under the $50-million Clean Energy Research Programme (Cerp), Singapore hopes to develop the know-how that could speed up solar adoption in the tropical region.

As Singapore’s urbanised landscape is representative of many cities in the tropics, there is “vast market potential for the export of clean energy solutions developed here”, said the Economic Development Board in a press release.

Winning proposals will have access to test-bedding sites here, including high-rise apartment blocks as well as industrial and commercial buildings.

Applicants should submit a preliminary research proposal before Oct 20. Short-listed applicants will be notified to submit a full proposal by Jan 5. More details are at rita.nrf.gov.sg/ewi/CERP_02.

This is Cerp’s second call for research proposals. Following its first call last November, eight of the 60 proposals that were submitted were last month awarded grants totalling $10 million. The proposals spanned a wide range of technologies in the solarenergy field, including novelphotovoltaics technologies such as dye-sensitised solar cells.

Cerp was launched last October to boost research and development efforts to help drive the growth of the clean energy industry here.