On the Grid #1
We started Energy Colab in hopes of building a community of learners around the topic of a just energy transition in Singapore and the ASEAN region. On the Grid is a newsletter sharing what we’re reading, listening to, and reading as a way to document what we’ve been learning (and asking!) about anything energy-related.
👀 What we’re reading:
Despite “green” efforts, natural gas and LNG make little climate or economic sense
Is natural gas really clean or is it greenwashing?
The authors highlight how natural gas, while often touted as the “cleanest form of fossil fuel” is more harmful to the climate than coal in many respects. The production and transportation of natural gas can emit significant volumes of methane and other greenhouse gasses (GHGs), and methane — the main component of natural gas — is a GHG with more than 80x the heat-trapping capacity of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.
What’s (not) being done?
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters are promoting carbon-neutral LNG to buyers willing to pay a premium for emissions offsets. Industry proponents are also lobbying for gas to be added to green finance rules, which would open new sources of capital for gas projects. However, neither strategy directly mitigates the harmful climate impacts of natural gas and LNG.
Rather than directly mitigating emissions, however, “carbon neutral” implies that either the LNG buyer or seller will purchase credits to invest in climate-friendly projects like forestation, renewable energy, or carbon sequestration — indirectly “offsetting” harmful climate impacts.
Since 2019, about 35 carbon-neutral LNG cargoes have been delivered to buyers in Europe and Asia, and the industry envisions the product becoming “mainstream.” However, there is little consensus on the credibility of offsets in reducing emissions.
Moreover, carbon-neutral LNG deals rarely disclose information about the total emissions of each LNG cargo, where offsets are sourced, whether offsets are for carbon removal or avoidance, or whether the buyer or seller pays for them. This lack of transparency makes it impossible to know whether “green” cargoes have real climate benefits.
We’re asking: Natural gas powers 95% of Singapore’s electricity and is set to dominate our electricity mix for the next fifty years — is this truly a sustainable switch for Singapore or another false solution?
Article: Urban Indians beat space crunch by investing in digital solar power
Who says you cannot invest in solar power without a roof?
With many city-dwellers unable to install solar panels, start-ups like SundayGrids offer them the opportunity to invest in solar power production elsewhere in return for green electricity credits. Simply put, SundayGrid allows consumers to invest in solar panels virtually (what SundayGrids calls “solar biscuits”, or portions of panels in an existing system), earning them credits that offset their electricity bill at home. Many of their clients have since enjoyed huge cost savings.
We’re asking: What other policy mechanisms enable such digital solutions to thrive? Would this be feasible in Singapore as well, where most of us live in high-rise public housing with little to no access to our rooftops and governance over our own energy?
Electricity grids may trip Southeast Asia renewables drive without government intervention
With the Singapore government looking to expand and integrate a regional energy grid to increase our renewable energy mix, what challenges might we (and the broader SEA region) face?
The authors posit that beyond stiff competition from subsidised coal power, the lack of suitable long-range transmission lines and energy storage facilities contributed to the dumping of excess wind power. For example, when few people were using electrical appliances in the midday but the wind was blowing strong — operators were told to disconnect.
Dumping of excess wind power? Doesn’t that mean our renewable energy supply exceeds demand?
Yes. Unfortunately, the fast pace at which solar and wind projects can be completed means that corresponding transmission infrastructure, which takes years to build, may not be ready in time. Advanced grid infrastructure is still not available in many countries such as Cambodia and Laos.
In a recent report by engineering consultancy Black & Veatch that polled Asia’s electricity industry leaders, over a third said integrating renewable energy is one of their most challenging issues. Over 30 per cent consider the lack of energy storage and reliable transmission networks as threats to providing reliable service.
How can governments take the lead in the face of uncertain climate?
By improving grid infrastructure and managing supply through the temporary storage of excess power. Microgrids could also serve as a potential solution for the electrification of remote areas, bypassing the prohibitive cost of grid extensions. Existing research also points to solutions such as building transmission lines underground to protect against typhoons, and making grids more modular to prevent widespread outages.
🎧 What we’re listening to
How to Save a Planet: Is Your Carbon Footprint BS?
Ever wondered if you’re doing enough to “save the planet” or if your individual actions even matter? We really enjoyed this podcast episode because the hosts not only present both sides of the debate, but ultimately conclude that there is no one right way to save the planet and offer another way to think about our individual role in climate change. If our goal is to significantly reduce our carbon emissions for the promise of a livable future, how might our individual actions contribute to collective action, and vice versa?
An anti-carbon coup for Indigenous climate activists
What does it mean to decolonize climate narratives? In this podcast episode, we learn from multiple perspectives of Indigenous activists on the frontlines of climate actions. They discuss their various victories, sacrifices and ongoing struggles for recognition — from defending Mi’kmaw fishing rights in Halifax to getting a seat at the COP26 table. Diving into a recent report that’s literally quantified the amount of greenhouse gas emissions either stopped or delayed thanks to Indigenous resistance, they offer tangible proof that Indigenous leadership should be centered in global climate strategy.
📺 What we’re watching
Cities & Rising Energy Consumption 101 — Matt Ferrell x Student Energy
If you’re a visual learner and enjoy keeping up to date on the latest news via Youtube videos, this one’s for you! Cities are resource-intensive, covering only 2% of the earth’s surface yet responsible for 75% of the world’s resource consumption and carbon emissions. The cost of inaction is therefore high, and so is the economic opportunity associated with decarbonisation. City-led efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change by addressing their energy use have the potential to transform livability, equity, human health, and the urban experience.
What might some of these efforts be, and do you already notice some of them being implemented in Singapore? Being one of the most developed cities in the world, how might our Singapore Green Plan 2030 and broader initiatives bring these efforts to life in our little red dot?
Climate Action Needs New Frontline Leadership | Ozawa Bineshi Albert | TED
Have you ever wondered about the merits of market solutions for climate change in the form of carbon capture, cap-and-trade, and net-zero emission targets? Climate justice organiser Ozawa Bineshi Albert, an Indigenous woman living in the heart of oil and gas country in the US, offers her insightful perspective on the logical fallacy of searching for climate solutions through a lens of the economy.
Calling for an end to band-aid solutions designed to simply displace ecological damage while comfortably sidestepping issues of racism, colonialism and economic inequity, she urges a pivot to grassroots-led solutions and provides successful examples — from water protection efforts in rural Minnesota to off-grid solar power in the most urban of Arizona’s spaces. What community-based initiatives would you like to see in your neighbourhood? Are there any existing projects you’d like to highlight?
Why Borders Make Climate Change Worse
In this video essay, a compelling case is made to recognise how efforts to preserve imperial relations are exacerbating the climate crisis and global human rights issues. Seven of the largest historical emitters (US, UK, Canada, Japan, Germany, France and Australia) responsible for 48% of the world’s emissions increased their border security spending by 29% from 2013–2018 — double the amount they spent on climate financing.
Having observed the close ties between private border security contractors, heads of states, and fossil fuel companies in perpetuating a Border-Industrial Complex, we ask in what ways can an understanding of fossil fuel imperialism help to dismantle colonial land practices?
This month’s On the Grid is curated by Rachel Cheang and Avril Hwang. We hope you enjoyed it, and let us know what you think!
