Launch of Low Carbon Singapore

Green Future Solutions is launching our 5th website, Low Carbon Singapore, today.

Low Carbon Singapore is an online community dedicated to help Singapore reduce her carbon emissions and move towards the goal of a low carbon economy. Our aim is to educate individuals, communities, businesses and organisations on issues relating to climate change, global warming and clean energy, and to help them take action and reduce their carbon footprint through useful information, news, tips and resources.

Do take some time to browse around our site at http://www.lowcarbonsg.com. If you have any suggestions to make the site better or to report any bugs, do let us know. Thanks.

Event: Smaller Carbon Footprints or Bigger Green Footprints?

November 11, 2008
3:00 pm	to	4:30 pm

Speakers: Mr Mitesh Patel, Manager, Power Select, WorleyParsons Pte Ltd; Mr Henry Kwok, Global Partner, Haines Centre for Strategic Management, Asia Pacific

Venue: Seminar Room II, ISEAS

This seminar discusses the need for a collective and holistic response to create a bigger green footprint, which looks at economics, social, ecological, technological and other measures, and involves individuals, society, national and global responses to build a better tomorrow for future generations. Details and registration at the ISEAS website.

Choosing greener electricity suppliers

Singapore is planning to introduce the Electricity Vending System for households and small businesses. Today reported that smart meters installed will track the consumer’s electricity usage, and make it possible for consumers to “choose which supplier they want to buy their electricity from, and pay for supply upfront via the Internet, ATMs or convenience stores.” Suppliers would offer electricity packages at different prices and consumers could choose a cheaper package. This is in contrast to the current system where a flat price rate is charged by Singapore Power’s SP Services.

While we welcome the good news that consumers can choose their electricity supplier, we would prefer instead to read about consumers and companies having the ability to choose a greener electricity supplier.

In Singapore, the “power generation sector is the single largest primary source of carbon dioxide emissions” according to the National Climate Change Strategy. Consumers and companies are increasingly aware of environmental issues, especially climate change and the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions. Therefore, they may not look at price as the only factor in deciding their supplier. They would prefer a greener supplier that emits less carbon dioxide for the same unit of electricity generated (a smaller carbon footprint) as compared to other suppliers.

The electricity suppliers can give consumers and companies the ability to choose greener electricity by disclosing their carbon footprints, either voluntarily or by legislation. They would no longer compete on price alone but also on their environmental performance. This creates market incentives for suppliers to reduce carbon emissions and be seen as a greener electricity supplier. They would find ways to be more efficient and generate electricity using cleaner fuel source or renewable energy sources.

In addition, the carbon footprint disclosure by suppliers would help companies calculate their own carbon footprints as the carbon emissions from electricity supplied is required in the calculations. They can then decide to switch to a greener supplier or take actions to reduce carbon emissions in light of global climate change concerns and stricter restrictions on carbon emissions in the future. Companies that know their own carbon footprints are also in a better position to tap on carbon trading schemes.

The carbon footprint disclosure by electricity suppliers would give consumers and companies more choices, and is a step towards reducing Singapore’s carbon emissions.

Source: Energy Market Authority; Today; Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. Image attribution: Energy Market Authority.