Channel NewsAsia 24 Oct 17;
SINGAPORE: A wave of clean energy investments in Singapore is set to create 400 professional jobs and generate S$500 million in business spending over the next five years, the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) said on Tuesday (Oct 24).
Six clean energy investments across the fields of solar, wind, microgrids and energy management in Singapore were secured by EDB in recent months, helping Singapore in its bid to be positioned as Asia’s leading clean technology (cleantech) hub, EDB said.
The investments were announced at the Asia Clean Energy Summit (ACES), which will be held in Singapore from Oct 24 to Oct 26.
Into its fourth edition this year, the summit is expected to receive more than 2,500 delegates and visitors.
Speaking on the growth potential of Singapore’s clean energy sector, Mr Goh Chee Kiong, EDB’s executive director of cleantech, said: “The future is bright for clean energy and we want to develop this as a national opportunity for Singapore. This recent wave of clean energy investments augur well for Singapore’s role as the springboard for companies to serve the fast-growing markets in Asia. The government will continue its commitment to invest in research and technology, train specialised talent, promote new financing and business models.”
Among the six investments include shanghai-headquartered Envision Energy, which will be setting up its global digital energy hub in Singapore, comprising a global digital R&D centre and global headquarters for energy Internet of Things and smart cities. The company plans to hire more than 200 professional involved in big data and analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, security, project engineering as well as regional management in Singapore.
VDE, a leading quality assurance provider headquartered in Germany, is investing S$20 million to set up a major energy storage testing and certification lab here to serve the Asian region. The lab in Singapore will also be the first in the world to provide bankability and insurability services for energy storage solutions at the system level, plugging a critical gap in the existing global energy landscape.
Other investors include GCL (solar), Hover Energy (wind) and Jiangsu Linyang (smart meters, solar), who will be establishing their respective regional headquarters in Singapore for sales, operations, finance, treasury, and other various management functions for Asia Pacific. Meanwhile, Narada will set up its regional energy storage solution centre of excellence in Singapore, which will develop co-innovation opportunities with locally-based companies.
Source: CNA/aj
Clean energy investments to create 400 jobs, S$500m in business spending
SIAU MING EN Today Online 24 Oct 17;
SINGAPORE — Six new clean energy investments secured by the Economic Development Board (EDB) are expected to create some 400 professional jobs and S$500 million in cumulative business spending in the next five years.
These investments are in the fields of solar, wind, microgrids and energy management in Singapore, the board told the press on Tuesday (Oct 24).
Clean energy is gaining significant momentum as an economically viable energy source. As the global energy sector undergoes extensive transformation, Singapore wants to keep abreast with changes, to “partner companies to innovate and commercialise novel clean energy solutions, and to spearhead new business models”, the EDB said.
Among the latest group of investors is Chinese wind turbine maker and energy management group Envision Energy, which will be setting up its Global Digital Energy Hub here. This will comprise its Global Digital Research and Development Centre, and its Global Headquarters for Energy Internet of Things and Smart Cities. The firm intends to hire more than 200 professionals involved in big data and analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence, among other things.
Likewise, technical and scientific association VDE, which is based in Germany, will be investing S$20 million to set up a major energy storage testing and certification lab in Singapore to serve the Asian region. This lab would provide provide “bankability and insurability services” for energy storage solutions at the system level, and plug a critical gap in the existing global energy landscape, the EDB said.
Other firms will be setting up their respective regional headquarters in Singapore for sales, operations, finance, and other management functions for Asia-Pacific.
Chinese lead-carbon energy storage system provider Narada will have its regional Energy Storage Solution Centre of Excellence here, and it seeks to work with Singapore-based companies on projects.
The EDB said that the new ventures are “part of a continued wave of clean energy investments” here, strengthening Singapore’s position as Asia’s leading clean technology hub.
Mr Goh Chee Kiong, executive director of Cleantech in EDB, said that the recent investments “augur well for Singapore’s role as the springboard for companies to serve the fast-growing markets in Asia”. “The government will continue its commitment to invest in research and technology, train specialised talent, promote new financing and business models,” he added.
