Business Times 17 Dec 09;
If the Copenhagen conference is a success, Singapore firms in this sector are ready to tap the vast opportunities, reports CHUANG PECK MING
ALL eyes - including those of Singapore business - will be on Copenhagen in the next two days as international leaders descend on the Danish capital in a bid to cut a grand deal that some say will save the world from frying.
The big move at the United Nations' climate conference in Copenhagen to curb global warming entails not just cutbacks in emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. There will also be a shift to clean and renewable energy as well as environment-friendly technology.
'If successful, (the conference) could open a flood of opportunities for companies operating in the clean-energy sector,' says Leong Teng Chau, assistant director of environmental and engineering services at International Enterprise (IE) Singapore.
At stake for business is some US$800 billion - that's the projected size of the global market for environmental technology in 2015.
IE Singapore, which is pushing Singapore companies to go global, wants Singapore's clean-energy industry to capture a slice of this pie. 'Singapore players should take on the Singapore brand name of reliability and quality to reach out to overseas markets,' says Mr Leong.
He reckons Singapore's clean-energy firms have niche competencies in off-grid - that is, minus public utilities - applications for residential, farming and industrial communities in rural areas. They can also provide green consultancy, such as accreditation of green buildings.
'Smaller Singapore renewable-energy players will have the advantage of being flexible, nimble in meeting customers' demand and specialised requirements,' Mr Leong says.
The environmental sector accounted for $3.6 billion of Singapore's manufacturing output in 2007 and added value of $816 million to the economy that year. Some 300 firms make up the local environmental sector, with four in five of them being small and medium-sized enterprises.
Singapore's environmental services sector covers water and waste-water management, solid waste management and energy management.
'Singapore's clean energy sector refers to companies investing in and providing turnkey solutions in renewable power generation, as well as consultancy in energy-efficient services,' Mr Leong says.
Even before Copenhagen, Singapore had picked clean energy as a strategic growth industry. The government has pledged $1 billion over the next five years to back programmes for energy efficiency, green transport, clean energy and greening spaces.
'By 2015, the clean energy sector is expected to contribute $1.7 billion to Singapore's gross domestic product and create 7000 jobs,' Mr Leong says.
There is also the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore, set up in 2006 to give the industry an outward push.
Indeed, Singapore's renewable energy firms have been expanding externally. Grenzone, which offers solar-power solutions, is active in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. And Daily Life Renewable Energy has completed projects in Sri Lanka, Maldives, Indonesia, Thailand, Fiji, South Korea and Australia.
G-Energy Global, a specialist in energy and system audits, has made its mark in Malaysia. And Singapore Power has been involved in transmission and distribution projects in China.
'Our Singapore companies' strengths are in integration of the right technology to customise solutions for clients and finance projects at the same time,' Mr Leong says.
IE Singapore has also played a key role. It's a match-maker in connecting Singapore clean-energy firms to buyers overseas. And it has helped Singapore clean-energy projects get off the ground in unfamiliar terrain abroad.
IE Singapore has also provided market intelligence and led business missions to sell Singapore's clean-energy solutions globally.
With such ground work done, Singapore's clean-energy industry is ready to seize on the business opportunities coming out of the Copenhagen climate conference.
SEAS to promote green business in Singapore, overseas
Chuang Peck Ming, Business Times 17 Dec 09;
AMONG protesters at the Copenhagen climate conference pushing world leaders to take quick and effective action are young Singaporeans. But they are not the only Singaporeans championing the green cause.
Singapore business also has a green champion. But unlike those in the Danish capital, the people at the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) are interested in more than saving the world.
The three-year-old body wants to promote green business in Singapore - specifically renewable energy, carbon trading, energy efficiency and clean technology. And it wants to help and encourage those already in the business to reach out to global markets.
'Singapore has a strength in developing urban solutions, and the government is offering research and development support, as well as test beds to test the technology in commercial settings,' says SEAS chairman Edwin Khew.
So local companies should take advantage of these opportunities to develop 'appropriate' technology suitable not only for Singapore but other major Asian cities too.
But Singapore is not big enough to provide a market that can sustain most companies in the green business. So these companies must look beyond Singapore to sell their goods and services.
And SEAS thinks Singapore companies are in a good position to do just that. 'Singapore companies have experience in testing and deploying technology at home, and that works as a very good reference (for them) to venture overseas,' Mr Khew says.
In Singapore, SEAS works to connect local start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises with financial backers - government, venture capitalists, green funds and banks.
'SEAS also helps with strategic planning and connections with partners locally and regionally,' Mr Khew says. 'And we help recruit staff for manufacturing, systems design or service.'
Outside Singapore, SEAS has hooked up with a network of sustainable energy associations in Asia to offer Singapore companies 'multiple project opportunities on the ground'.
It has signed memoranda of understanding with the Clean Energy Council of Australia, the Sustainable Energy Association of Indonesia and the New and Renewable Energy Association of Korea.
SEAS also chairs a working group on enterprise development backed by the Asian Development Bank. This group not only attracts projects but also provides ADB funding for them.
'There are always challenges and opportunities within the local business environment in each country, which is unique,' says Mr Khew. 'Singapore companies can overcome that by having local partners - and that is why SEAS is connecting with local associations to improve understanding of local markets.'
With the leaders at the Copenhagen climate talks moving to cut greenhouse gas emissions and shift to energy-efficient technology, Mr Khew reckons there is immense renewable energy business in Singapore's building and transport sectors.
