Annual Trade Fair and Conference on clean energy highlighted Asian trends in renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions through intensive, high level discussions and networking held across three days at the Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Held from 2 to 4 November 2010, this year’s Clean Energy Expo Asia (CEEA) saw a significant increase in participants, attracting over 5,000 clean energy professionals from close to 50 countries. More than 170 international exhibitors and over 115 speakers from leading players in the technology, services, finance and government sectors attended the annual Trade Fair and Conference, which was also the closing anchor event for the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW).
Paving the way for energy security and climate change
According to a report by The World Bank, energy consumption in East Asia alone has trebled over the past 30 years due to growing cities and rapid industrialization, and demand is expected to double again in the next 20 years. To support this, the current share of low carbon technologies in power generation needs to increase three-fold from today’s 70 percent and this would have to primarily come from wind, hydropower, geothermal and biomass energy sources from various countries in Asia.
As such, Clean Energy Expo Asia continues to play an important role in supporting this continued growth. “As seen in this year’s Trade Fair and Conference, new emerging concepts and systems demonstrate the importance of renewable energy as the new source of power for the future. With traditional barriers such as technology and costs falling, the world will soon go the way of renewable energy and Asia will be at the forefront. By providing a key platform for industry players to share knowledge and interact with industry leaders from across the value chain, Clean Energy Expo Asia acts as a catalyst for growth and development of renewables in the region,” said Mr Michael Dreyer, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Koelnmesse.
Tackling this issue in depth was the Conference session on “Energy Security and Clean Energy Policies”, which saw presentations from The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) highlighting the importance and role of clean energy policies and its link to investment, economic growth and human development in Asia. ADB estimates that energy demand in the region will grow by about 2.6 percent annually, challenging the energy security of the region. “Most governments in Asia Pacific have taken the first step by adopting ambitious targets to increase access to energy for their populations. However, there is a long way to go. The government cannot work alone and more partnerships with the private sector are crucial to drive development in the renewable energy industry and secure a sustainable energy future,” said Mr Samuel Tumiwa, Principal Planning and Coordination Specialist, Regional & Sustainable Development Department, Asian Development Bank.
Showcasing the latest in clean energy technology
This year’s Trade Fair saw a number of interesting exhibitors showcasing innovative Asian solutions in sustainable mobility, wind turbine technology as well as various energy-efficient technologies for homes, office buildings and public property.
One such company is a Singapore-based company, Sing Yue Technologies, which unveiled its latest innovation, the CherWind™ Compressed Wind Turbine. The first of its kind in Asia, this new wind turbine provides an alternative renewable energy source to urbanized areas and cities with high population densities. Leveraging on high rise buildings, instead of offshore or suburban areas where wind turbines are usually located, this small wind turbine design is ideal for metropolitan Asian cities.
Exhibitor SwissINSO also launched two unique turnkey solar-powered solutions at the Trade Fair – the Krystall Solar Water Purification system and the Klymaa Solar Thermal Control system. The Krystall Solar Water Purification system combines exclusive membrane technology with state-of-the-art photovoltaic panels into a cost-effective, solar-powered transportable water purification/desalination unit. Each unit is capable of converting brackish, sea or spoiled surface water into 100,000 liters/day of high quality drinking water. The Klymaa Solar Thermal Control system is an environmentally friendly air cooling/heating solution that uses revolutionary colored opaque solar thermal panels that can be mounted on the façade of a building to capture the sun’s energy in an aesthetic manner, to supply the necessary energy to run the entire cooling system for the building.
Electric vehicles took the spotlight at this year’s Clean Energy Expo Asia. From a three-wheeled electronic Bike Board, a single-seater small electric vehicle that uses plant-based bio plastics for some of its body parts, to full-fledged high-performance electric-powered sports cars, the Sustainable Mobility Pavilion at this year’s Trade Fair showed participants a full range of Electric Vehicles (EVs) that is setting the standard for a new EV reality in the near future. Exhibitors Audi and EV World, were also panelists in the Sustainable Mobility Roundtable that brought together both industry practitioners and policy makers in a robust discussion to help pave the way for the mass adoption of EVs.
A holistic platform for knowledge sharing and business networking
As the premier event in the region that provides a unique platform for the meeting of minds between clean energy professionals, Clean Energy Expo Asia offers extensive business and networking opportunities.
With four times the exhibition space this year, Japan Pavilion provided companies, such as SANYO Asia Pte, Tokyo Electron Ltd and Furukawa Electric Singapore Pte Ltd, an excellent opportunity to connect Japanese businesses to the growing markets in Southeast Asia. “The Japanese Government is putting a lot of emphasis on clean energy industry development. With some of the most advanced clean energy technologies in the market, Japanese companies are keen to showcase their expertise to the ASEAN region. The exhibiting companies at the Japan Pavilion have expressed their satisfaction with the opportunities presented at this event,” said Mr Shigeki Maeda, Managing Director, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Singapore Representative Office.
Driven by its success at this year’s show, second-time participant, swissnex Singapore, the information, coordination and networking platform of the Embassy of Switzerland, is also keen to grow its participation at the next Clean Energy Expo Asia to further promote Swiss excellence in science and innovation in the region.
“swissnex Singapore is very happy to have been able to showcase Switzerland’s commitment to energy efficiency and sustainability. Clean Energy Expo Asia has enabled Swiss Cleantech companies, public and private initiatives and research institutes to present themselves to the Southeast Asian region, and I can gladly confirm that everyone at the Swiss booth was highly satisfied with the event,” said Dr Suzanne Hraba-Renevey, Executive Director, swissnex Singapore.
The Trade Fair has also helped Toyota Tsusho to connect with many potential distributors, collaborators and technology partners. It’s COMS Electric Vehicle, a super compact four-wheeled single-seater car, has seen strong international interest. According to Mr Jimmy Tan, Business Manager, Global Sales & Marketing Group, IT & Electronics Department, Toyota Tsusho (Singapore) Pte Ltd, has received many enquiries on the vehicle’s design and the novel technology over the three days. He is hopeful that the COMS will soon become a common feature in the region in the near future.
Clean Energy Expo Asia continues to support the region’s energy evolution
Leveraging on Singapore’s excellent infrastructure and global connectivity, Clean Energy Expo Asia is the only event in the region that gathers industry players from the Technology, Services, Finance, Legal and Government sectors in a single location to exchange knowledge, experiences and technology updates – creating industry links that will shape the future of Asia’s clean energy markets.
“REC was proud to sponsor the Clean Energy Expo Asia and is honored to play a key role in Singapore’s energy evolution. We are confident that solar energy will continue to play an imperative role in Singapore’s alternative energy mix and we look forward to a truly bright future together,” said Mr John Andersen Jr., COO & EVP, REC.
“By hosting the annual Clean Energy Expo Asia trade fair and conference, Singapore is providing the region with a unique platform for knowledge sharing, technology innovation and project development for renewable energy projects from across Asia,” concluded Mr Edwin Khew, President, Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore.
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