Ranking an effort to help improve energy efficiency in transport
Goh Chin Lian Straits Times 21 Oct 10;
MRT lines will be graded according to how environmentally friendly they are, in a step towards making Singapore's transport system greener.
The Circle Line, the first to be graded, scored a gold ranking for measures such as re-using energy produced by a braking train to power up another train, and installing escalators that slow down or stop when not in use.
The grading by the Building and Construction Authority is based on an ascending scale of certified, gold, gold plus and platinum.
It allows the Land Transport Authority (LTA), which builds MRT lines, to identify areas for improvement, Transport Minister Raymond Lim told an international conference on urban transit yesterday.
Rail operators will also gain from reduced energy consumption and added hedging against a rise in fuel costs, he said.
Welcoming the move, Singapore Environment Council executive director Howard Shaw told The Straits Times: 'Green-marking the various lines will help in driving innovations in greener green transport.'
The transport sector consumes about 5 per cent of electricity in Singapore, with a big chunk going to the MRT, based on official 2005 figures. Industry used 43 per cent, buildings 31 per cent and households 18 per cent.
Transport's appetite for electricity is expected to grow as more MRT lines open in the next 10 to 15 years. But the MRT is still greener than buses or cars as a mode of transport.
Each MRT passenger generates a carbon footprint of 13.2g per kilometre, compared with 73g by bus and 118g by car, based on figures from transport operator SMRT.
New technology can reduce the carbon footprint, said Mr Lim. He added that Sweden's railway network runs entirely on renewable energy harnessed from wind and water.
Singapore's technological solutions include 'regenerative' train brakes such as those on the Circle Line.
These brakes shave 1 per cent off energy consumption per year - enough to provide power for about 90 HDB flats for a year - the LTA said.
More green practices are being specified in tenders for new lines.
The 42km Downtown Line, to be completed in 2017, is expected to be more energy efficient than the Circle Line, with better train brakes and lighter trains, said LTA deputy director Melvyn Thong.
Attention is paid up to the day the train goes for scrap.
Mr Thong said aluminium, copper and steel parts, which make up 90 per cent of the Downtown Line trains' weight, are designed to be easily removed and recycled.
Rail systems to be graded for eco-friendliness
Dylan Loh Channel NewsAsia 20 Oct 10;
SINGAPORE: Rail systems in Singapore will be graded over the next two years for eco-friendliness.
Minister for Transport Raymond Lim said: "By allowing for the benchmarking of future and current Rapid Transit Systems, the framework will pave the way for the adoption of green technologies.
"For the operators, there will be tangible benefits in the form of lower energy consumption and added hedging against rise in energy costs".
Under the framework, rail systems will be graded according to three "pillars".
These "pillars" include environmentally-friendly design, effective energy use and the presence of water-saving features.
Singapore's Building and Construction and Land Transport authorities are the testers.
The MRT Circle Line was the first to be rated. It garnered a gold award for green features.
One of these green features includes the regenerative braking system.
Energy produced by a train during braking is channelled to be re-used either by a train nearby or a rail station.
LTA's Mechanical & Electrical Services deputy director Melvyn Thong said: "We actually look at the various components that make up our railway system - the mechanical and electrical systems, the architectural, the civil components and even the landscape and the connectivity of it".
-CNA/wk
Circle Line receives Green Mark Gold Award
Channel NewsAsia 20 Oct 10;
SINGAPORE: The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has awarded the Circle Line (CCL) the Green Mark Gold Award for its environmentally-friendly features.
The assessment and grading were based on the Green Mark for Rapid Transit System (RTS) framework, jointly developed by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and BCA.
The BCA-LTA Green Mark for RTS was developed to provide a holistic approach in evaluating and rating the environmental performance of RTS for existing and future lines.
LTA Chief Executive, Chew Hock Yong, said: "The award reaffirms the agency's commitment in ensuring that the planning, design, construction and operations of our MRT systems take into account potential environmental impact, and engage the appropriate measures to minimise the impact."
The regenerative braking system, where the energy that is produced by the train during braking is re-used, is one of the features that was awarded high scores.
This energy, if not harvested, would be wasted as heat.
The recovered energy can be re-used by a nearby train or channelled through an inverter system to be used by the station.
With this, the CCL achieved a 1 per cent reduction in energy usage or 433MWh a year, enough to power up about 90 HDB flats for a year.
The CCL also scored well on its water conservation efforts.
For instance, the use of effective drift eliminator in its air-conditioning units reduces drift loss of the cooling tower.
The process helps the CCL save 13,550 cubic metres of water every year, equivalent to the water consumption of about 60 HDB households' in a year.
Other green features of CCL include energy-conserving escalators that reduce its speed when not in use or stop completely during extended period of non-usage. - CNA/fa
Circle Line gets top marks for eco-friendliness, other lines to be tested
Today Online 21 Oct 10;
SINGAPORE - The first MRT line to be graded on eco-friendliness has passed with flying colours.
The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said yesterday it had awarded the Circle Line (CCL) the Green Mark Gold Award for its environmentally-friendly features.
Over the next two years, the other parts of the entire rail network will be assessed based on the Green Mark for Rapid Transit System (RTS) framework, which was jointly developed by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and BCA.
Under the framework, existing and future lines will be graded according to three criteria: Environmentally-friendly design, effective energy use and the presence of water-saving features.
Speaking separately at the World Urban Transit Conference at Resorts World Singapore yesterday, Transport Minister Raymond Lim said the framework would "pave the way for the adoption of green technologies". Said Mr Lim: "For the operators, there will be tangible benefits in the form of lower energy consumption and added hedging against rise in energy costs."
In particular, CCL's regenerative braking system was awarded high scores. Energy produced by the train during braking is re-used by a nearby train or channelled through an inverter system used by the station.
The energy saved by the CCL is enough to power about 90 HDB flats annually. CCL's other green features include energy-conserving escalators that reduce speed when not in use or stop completely when not in use for an extended period.
