Launched last November as part of the retail giant’s partnership with environmental charity Hubbub, the funding was set aside using money raised through sales of plastic bags for life. It forms part of John Lewis Partnership’s work to develop and scale permanent buy-back or take-back schemes for all product categories by 2025.
The John Lewis Partnership and Hubbub have today (16 May) announced which four projects will receive a share of the funding and revealed that 245 applications were made to the fund.
The first successful applicant was Pip and Henry, which is developing solutions to minimize wasted children’s shoes. Pip and Henry research has revealed that children under the age of seven replace their shoes, on average, every four months. As most shoes are not designed for easy recycling, 85% of children’s shoes thrown away in the UK are sent to landfill or incineration.
Pip and Henry’s solutions are to design shoes that can be expanded as children grow, and to design shoes that are easier to recycle. The brand has already had success designing shoes made from organic and recycled materials.
Also in the fashion space, funding will be allocated to the University of Leeds’ ‘Polyester Infinity’ programme. Researchers are investigating low-water, low-emission methods of recycling waste polyester. Recycled polyester used by big-name fashion brands is typically made using plastic bottles, as it is challenging to remove dyes from polyester fabrics.
According to the Changing Markets Foundation, global polyester production has doubled globally since 2020. Most garments sold on the high street now include polyester blend or pure polyester components. This poses challenges regarding lifecycle emissions, garment durability, garment recyclability and microfibre shedding.
The other two projects receiving a share of funding are from period product brand DAME and the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC).
DAME will use the funds to develop and launch a new digital platform which educates and supports people as they make the switch from disposable menstrual products – tampons and sanitary pads – to reusable menstrual cups. Duquense University School of Nursing estimates that, without reusable solutions, the average woman will use at least 9,120 tampons or sanitary towels in her lifetime. Most of these products contain plastics.
Finally, the SLIC is working to launch up to ten ‘lend and mend’ spaces at libraries across Scotland. The spaces will be staffed by volunteers and people will be able to come along to lend out household items they use rarely, and access advice on repair. This is similar to the ‘Library of Things’ movement in England and the ‘People’s Workshops’ in Norway.
“Our throw-away culture and the waste it generates are unquestionably among the biggest challenges we will face in our lifetime and tackling them will require a different kind of thinking,” said the John Lewis Partnership’s director of ethics and sustainability Marija Rompani.
“All these inspirational projects have the potential to create real impact and will provide valuable learnings in promoting the urgent need to adopt a more circular way of living. With the funding awarded for the year ahead we want to help these amazing ideas to thrive for the long-term benefit of us all.”
John Lewis Partnership, through Waitrose & Partners, has previously worked with Hubbub to allocate £1m to innovators working to solve the plastic pollution crisis.
India’s G20 presidency next year offers a “golden opportunity” to accelerate the deployment of renewable energies, environment minister Bhupender Yadav told reporters on April 26 in a meeting with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). This year is a litmus test for progress, representing a deadline for India’s renewable energy target of 175 gigawatts.
While floating solar photovoltaic (FSPV) was not originally envisaged as part of the mix, which only included terrestrial and rooftop solar, it has emerged as a small but not insignificant catalyst for the figures.
Despite later including large hydropower in the renewable category to help meet the target of 175 GW, which originally included only small hydropower, India is still set to miss the goal, with 156.6 GW of utility-scale renewables as of March 2022, plus an estimated 11 GW of rooftop solar.
The shortfall, due mostly to the slow development of rooftop solar, highlights the need to further diversify India’s portfolio of green energy sources.
Solar cookers designed by engineers of Barefoot College in Tilonia, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India tower over a woman. Image: Knut-Erik Helle, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Flickr.
An alternative to terrestrial solar
India’s journey with floating solar began in 2014 when it was approved by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), in Kolkata. S P Gon Chaudhuri, a veteran of the country’s renewable energy sector, told The Third Pole: “The organisation tasked with implementing this project was NBIRT [the NB Institute for Rural Technology], of which I was chairman at the time.”
When we start looking for a piece of land, it isn’t easy. In places with a lot of land, there are too many projects and hence, transmission is a challenge. Floating solar addresses so many problems
Manu Srivastava, commissioner for new and renewable energy, Madhya Pradesh
Once the project was completed, “officials from organisations such as the World Bank visited the site and examined how a floating solar plant is set up, how it works”, Chaudhuri recalls. “Basically, it was a study centre.”
Plants in Punjab, Kerala, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu followed, among others. India’s reservoirs cover 18,000 square kilometres with the potential to support 280 GW of floating solar, according to a report by think tank The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
High costs and design challenges are still holding back the deployment of the new technology, which as of November 2021 had an estimated cumulative installed capacity of just 2.7 megawatts, making it little more than a pilot project.
However, according to the think tank Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), India now has about 170 MW of operational floating solar capacity and another 1.8 GW under different stages of development. The steep increase, a CEEW spokesperson explained, is due to the fact that the first plants deployed were small, and India has only started implementing large-scale floating solar in recent years.
Terrestrial solar PV is land-intensive, and the TERI report recommends exploring alternatives such as floating solar to keep pace with India’s national target of 100 GW of additional solar capacity by the end of 2030. The state of Maharashtra, the authors say, has the most potential and could generate 57.9 GW on 3,173 sq km of its reservoirs’ surfaces.
“The FSPV addition is small in relation to the entire market for solar energy, but it could be a viable alternative for speeding up solar power deployment in India,” a 2021 study by researchers at Effat University in Saudi Arabia stated.
Floating solar milestones
Recent developments in the floating solar space hint at the sector’s promise. In August last year, government-owned NTPC, India’s largest integrated energy company, commissioned a 25 MW project on the reservoir of its Simhadri thermal power station, in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
The plant has the potential to generate electricity from over 100,000 solar PV modules, which could light around 7,000 households and avoid the emission of at least 46,000 tons of carbon dioxide every year over its lifespan.
In January 2022, the state-owned hydropower corporation NHPC signed a deal with a developer in the eastern state of Odisha to build a 500 MW floating solar plant. It will initially invest over INR 20 billion (USD 261 million) in 300 MW-worth of floating solar projects. The project will help the state to meet its renewable energy generation targets, besides creating investment and employment opportunities.
On March 10, 2022, Tamil Nadu’s chief minister MK Stalin inaugurated India’s largest floating solar power plant, which was constructed at a cost of INR 1.5 billion (USD 19.6 million).
Scarce land, more water
Most Indian states lack land, but have enough water for FSPV. Installing solar on water can increase the panels’ efficiency due to lower temperatures that prevent overheating, Chaudhuri explained.
Manu Srivastava, commissioner for new and renewable energy with the government of Madhya Pradesh, said: “When we start looking for a piece of land, it isn’t easy. In places with a lot of land, there are too many projects and hence, transmission is a challenge… Floating solar addresses so many problems.”
Avnish Shukla is executive engineer at Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Ltd, a joint venture that has commissioned solar projects in Madhya Pradesh. Shukla told The Third Pole that a 600 MW floating solar plant in the state of Madhya Pradesh will be commissioned by August 2023, likely to be one of the largest in the world.
Shukla said that solar projects often occupy barren land, not used by agriculture, industry or people. “Since there is scarcity of such a type of land, we face trouble… In such a scenario, water bodies are perfect. Moreover, water will evaporate if we do not use it to install solar panels [to reflect the sun’s rays].”
Vinay Rustagi, the managing director of Bridge to India, a renewable energy consultancy, pointed out that some floating solar sites that are located near hydropower projects or in thermal plant reservoirs already have ready access to their transmission infrastructure.
Falling costs
Ground-based installations still form 93.1 per cent of India’s grid-connected solar PV, according to a 2020 report by TERI. Utility-scale solar costs fell 84 per cent between 2010 and 2018, making large-scale solar cheaper in India than anywhere else.
According to Chaudhuri, the cost of setting up a floating solar plant is currently INR 50-60 million (USD650,000-780,000) per MW, while conventional land-based solar projects cost the equivalent of USD 520,000 per MW, a difference that explains the slow take-off of the technology. However, he said, floaters and maintenance are becoming more cost-effective.
“India needs to meet certain targets it has committed to by 2030, which means states need to adopt more such [floating solar] plants, as they do not have so much land to spare,” he said.
According to Srivastava, transporting the lightweight but big floaters the panels sit on can be a challenge. However, these are low-tech components, so manufacturing plants installed near the development site could bring costs down further.
Floating solar projects do require longer due to the need for more detailed assessments of sites’ hydrography and water-bed topography. Furthermore, both the capital and operating costs are slightly higher due to the more complex design and risks of working in water, Srivastava added.
Rustagi, however, said the local governments and municipal agencies in charge of most inland water bodies must push for them.
Binit Das, deputy renewable energy programme manager at New Delhi think tank the Centre for Science and Environment, agreed but said there are other, more technical hurdles to overcome: “The solar floating system needs to hold solar panels on the water for over 25 years, so the racking system needs to be highly resistant to corrosion, must have a long lifespan and high load capacity.”
He added: “Since this is a relatively new solar power technology, it requires specialised solar power equipment and more niche solar panel installation knowledge.”
This story was published with permission from The Third Pole.
Ask someone for a fact about New Zealand and chances are they’ll likely say, “There are more sheep than people.” It’s true, with 30 million sheep to 4.4 million humans, so it is little wonder that wool production is a major source of export revenue, and national pride, for the country. But the industry is in serious decline. Total wool exports fell 30.2 percent to NZ$367 million ($251.3 million USD) in the year to January 2021, and with wool prices so low it can often cost farmers more to shear sheep than they can get for the wool once sold.
We’re not talking about luxury Merino wool here. That ultrafine fiber still commands a high price, but it makes up only 10 percent of New Zealand wool products. Some 80 percent of New Zealand wool is actually strong wool, a coarser natural fiber more typically used for carpets and rugs.
Changing tastes and the popularity of man-made fibers means there’s a surfeit of strong wool in New Zealand—an estimated 1 million tons is stored waiting for the prices to improve—but 26-year-old inventor Logan Williams, and his company Shear Edge, is hoping to make the most of this increasingly ignored material by chopping it up and using it to make boats, knives, fencing, and just about anything that’s currently made using plastic.
Shear Edge’s plastic wool pellets can be used in existing machinery PHOTOGRAPH: SHEAR EDGE
Williams has pioneered a method of adding processed strong wool to polymers, including bio-based PLA (polylactic acid), typically made from corn starch. The result is a material that not only uses less plastic but is lighter and stronger—and, crucially, this wooly plastic can be processed by existing plastic-forming machinery.
“Wool is composed of keratin protein,” explains Williams. “It’s actually one of the strongest natural materials on the planet, so when it gets infused with the polymer it makes it incredibly strong, but also lighter, so the more wool we can put into the polymer the lighter the products will be and less plastic will be needed.”
The pellets, made in Shear Edge’s Hamilton factory, south of Auckland on New Zealand’s North Island, can be used as a substitute for plastic manufacturing without having to invest in new machinery. “Our pellets can be universally applied to almost all forms of manufacturing, says Williams. “This includes injection molding, extrusion, rotational molding, and thermoforming. Our customers may only have to slightly change the temperature and torque of their existing machinery, and aside from visible fibers, it looks almost identical to the industry standard.”
Shear Edge’s wool composites have been tested by Scion Research (a New Zealand government-owned company that carries out scientific research for the benefit of the country) to international ISO and ASTM standards, and the results show that wool makes composites lighter and stiffer, with higher impact and tensile strength.
Shear Edge is currently producing 4 tons a day, and Williams hopes that by using strong wool, he can give farmers an income stream for a product that is often considered worthless, especially as they can use parts of the fleece such as bellies, side,s and pieces that would otherwise be thrown away. Currently the company’s formula replaces as much as 35 per cent of the typical base polymer without a reduction in performance. It’s also worth noting that, unlike a material such as glass fiber, it is 100 percent recyclable.
“We’re trying to make pellets that can be ubiquitously added to any factory and lower the barrier of entry. So any customer can take our pellets and make their products,” says Williams.
So far Shear Edge has partnered with a number of companies to showcase its woolly pellets, including making handles for New Zealand-based Victory Knives, hi-tech fencing—for the sheep farming industry, obviously—and both a kayak and catamaran, the latter of which will be thoroughly tested by making the choppy crossing of the Cook Strait, which separates the North and South Islands of New Zealand, in February.
PHOTOGRAPH: MALCOLM MCRAE/SHEAR EDGE
While keen to promote environmentally favorable and biodegradable solutions such as PLA, Shear Edge pellets are versatile enough to be incorporated with most common polymers including PHA, HDPE, LDPE, PP, PET, PA and PVC.
But no matter what base material is used, the pellets will reduce the amount of plastic in circulation. A standard kayak usually weighs 20 kilgrams, but by adding wool it drops to 18 kg, which equates to a saving in the region of around 2,000 plastic bags. Yes, it’s a drop in the proverbial ocean compared to the 9 million tons dumped in the oceans each year, but Williams is hoping that an innovation that benefits supplier, manufacturer, and planet will catch on to the extent that the numbers really do start to make a difference.
Shear Edge isn’t the only company looking to substitute wool for man-made materials. UK-based Solidwool has been producing bespoke furniture and accessories using a mix of Herdwick sheep wool and bio-resin for years, while a 2010 project between Scotland’s Strathclyde University and Spain’s University of Seville experimented with a reinforced eco-friendly brick made using a mix of wool and seaweed.
Shear Edge’s plastic wool utilizes parts of the sheep fleece traditionally considered unusable PHOTOGRAPH: SHEAR EDGE
And back in New Zealand, Woolcool has designs on the 1 million tons of wool in storage for its brilliantly efficient natural alternative to cold shipping made using 100 percent felted sheep’s wool which is washed, scoured, and sealed within a recyclable polyethylene wrap. It’s fully biodegradable, can be added to compost, yet has been proven to keep food chilled for at least 24 hours.
The question is whether Shear Edge’s approach, which costs some 20 percent more than the equivalent polymer, will entice enough manufacturers to make the global impact Williams is hoping for. The company goal is to sell 50,000 tons of material a year and to have about 50 core customers across 25 different industries. “The higher cost is mostly because our philosophy is to deliver a higher wool price to our hard-working farms, while reinforcing environmentally conscious and ethical practices,” Williams says. “But if the stores do run dry, and in the unlikely event that the New Zealand wool industry does collapse, we’ll switch to using recycled wool or find alternatives from other countries.”
In his May Day Rally speech, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke about the impact of soaring energy prices on Singapore and its people
The increase in electricity prices is due to a confluence of factors, such as the Russia-Ukraine war, Singapore’s lack of alternatives for electricity, and rising demand for electricity as the world recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic
With electricity costs expected to continue rising for at least a year, Singapore’s move towards greener energy sources has become more important than ever, some experts said
Solar panel sellers said they have seen an increase in enquiries as households look to generate their own electricity instead
Given the limitations on tapping solar energy especially among HDB dwellers, what are other ways for households to not only do their part for the environment but also go easy on their wallets?
SINGAPORE — Whenever the sun is blazing, Mr Arun Murthy gets excited, as a mobile application on his phone would show that his house is generating more electricity than it is using.
In mid-March, he installed 100 solar panels on the roof of his landed property in Bukit Timah.
Since then, the family’s monthly electricity bill has dropped from about S$1,200 to about S$370. Apart from meeting some of the house’s energy needs, the solar panels also generate excess electricity during the day that is sold back to Singapore’s power grid system operated by SP Group.
“Every month, we get a cheque from SP Group for selling our excess electricity, which we can use to offset our electricity bill from a private retailer… We have reduced our dependency on the grid by about 70 per cent,” said the 54-year-old chief executive officer of cybersecurity firm Invisiron.
As the family does not have a battery system to store excess electricity generated, the solar panels only fuel the house’s electricity needs when the sun is out in the day. On rainy days and at night, the home then relies on the national energy grid.
While installing the solar panels has meant lower electricity bills for the family, Mr Murthy said that the “primary reason” for doing so was to do his part for the environment.
Installing the S$54,000 solar panels on his roof also means less reliance on natural gas — regarded as the cleanest form of fossil fuel and is used to generate 95 per cent of Singapore’s electricity supply, but whose prices have skyrocketed recently amid a global energy crunch.
Since Mr Arun Murthy installed solar panels on the roof of his home, the family’s monthly electricity bill has dropped from about S$1,200 to about S$370.
Singapore’s electricity tariffs for April 1 to June 30 increased from the preceding quarter by around 9.8 per cent to S$0.27 per kWh, excluding Goods and Services Tax.
Earlier this month, in his May Day Rally speech, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke about the soaring energy prices, which will set the country back by about S$8 billion a year, as he warned that Singapore must be prepared for more economic challenges ahead.
The increase in electricity prices is due to a confluence of factors, such as the Russia-Ukraine war, Singapore’s lack of alternatives for electricity and rising demand for electricity as the world recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, experts told TODAY.
And with electricity costs expected to continue rising for at least a year, Singapore’s move towards greener energy sources has become more important than ever, some of the experts added.
Indeed, by reducing electricity consumption or turning to renewable energy, households now can not only do their part to save the Earth — but also go easy on their wallets
The increase in electricity costs during the past few months is a good opportunity for the Government to accelerate the adoption of green energy.
Dr Chua Yeow Hwee from the Nanyang Technological University’s economics division
Factors driving the surge in electricity prices
One reason for the rising electricity tariffs for the past two years is that 95 percent of electricity in Singapore is generated by natural gas, a byproduct of crude oil, said Associate Professor Chang Young Ho, head of the business and management minor at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS).
Because it is a byproduct, the price of natural gas is indexed to the price of crude oil. Hence, recent spikes in oil prices have caused energy prices to similarly jump.
He also noted that while the cost breakdown of generating electricity is not publicly available, industry experts have estimated that 60 to 70 percent of the total cost is related to fuel costs.
By reducing electricity consumption or turning to renewable energy, households now can not only do their part to save the Earth — but also go easy on their wallets.
“The recovery from Covid-19 has increased demand for oil, such as for use by industries, commercial and transport, so the price of oil increased,” said Assoc Prof Chang.
“The Ukraine-Russia war affected production and supply of oil (so) it also increased oil prices… As long as the war continues, the price is expected to increase,” he added.
Dr David Broadstock, a senior research fellow and the head of the Energy Economics Division at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Energy Studies Institute, said the decision by Europe and other countries to stop purchasing natural gas from Russia has forced them to search for new gas suppliers.
“At the same time, there are limits to how much gas supply chains can scale up without major new infrastructure development, which would also take some years to provide.
“This is a perfect recipe for natural price increases for natural gas, as those countries which are willing and able to pay higher prices may choose to do so to ensure a secure energy supply,” said Dr Broadstock.
He also noted that China’s demand for natural gas has been consistently growing as it searches for a cleaner fuel option as compared to coal. This is especially so during the winter season, which has created long-term pressure on markets.
While all these have resulted in the rise of oil and energy prices, Dr Broadstock said that key energy commodity prices have, to some extent, stabilised.
He added that the Energy Market Authority (EMA) had implemented mechanisms following local power market disruptions in 2021, which will help Singapore reach stable prices faster.
This would take about a year, other experts including Assoc Prof Chang estimated.
On April 4, Second Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng spoke in Parliament about these mechanisms, which include a standby liquefied natural gas facility and requirements imposed on power generation companies to “bolster existing stockpiles and provide additional layers of fuel security to cope with the short-term shocks to global gas supply”.
They were introduced after “upstream production issues in Indonesia’s West Natuna gas field and gas pressure issues from South Sumatra in the fourth quarter of 2021 caused disruptions to our piped natural gas supplies,” said Dr Tan, who is also Manpower Minister.
“As a result, some companies had to purchase more liquefied natural gas at elevated global gas prices to make up for the drop in piped natural gas supplies.”
EMA has also modified market rules, allowing the agency to direct power generation companies to use gas from its standby facility, allowing the authority to manage the cost impact on consumers.
“These measures have ensured that we have sufficient fuel and electricity supply and stabilised the uniform Singapore energy price,” said Dr Tan.
However, experts said that the prices and impact on supply reinforce the need for Singapore to diversify its energy sources and improve its local production — which currently makes up just 5 per cent of the country’s energy supply.
Dr Chua Yeow Hwee from the Nanyang Technological University’s (NTU) economics division said: “The increase in electricity costs during the past few months is a good opportunity for the Government to accelerate the adoption of green energy.”
Dr Broadstock added: “The more power that can be produced locally, the more secure and predictable energy costs will become.
“However, there are limits to just how much solar energy can be deployed in Singapore. While more investment into solar will be very welcome, Singapore will inevitably need to explore additional energy resources.”
Dr Broadstock referred to recommendations made by a committee commissioned by EMA on March 22, which include importing renewable energy from verified resources — such as wind, large-scale solar and hydropower — which are abundant in other countries.
Viability of solar energy for households
Some households looking to cut their electricity bills without changing too much of their lifestyles can turn to generate their own electricity via solar power, which is the main renewable energy option here.
Professor Subodh Mhaisalkar, executive director of NTU’s Energy Research Institute, noted that solar panel technology has advanced over the years, reaching efficiencies of between 20 to 22 percent. This efficiency refers to the amount of electricity generated from solar energy that falls on the panel.
“Efficiencies used to be around 15 percent a decade ago, and we have seen a 30 percent improvement… it definitely makes sense from both sustainability and cost perspectives,” said Prof Mhaisalkar.
He noted that a barrier to getting these panels installed is the upfront cost, but solar leasing and favorable financing options have made installation a compelling value proposition.
Under solar leasing, a company pays for and installs a solar system from which homeowners can buy electricity.
Solar panel installation companies told TODAY that they have seen increased interest in their services this year, with more homes looking to do their part for the environment while saving money.
Mr Satish Prasath, founder and director of PMCE (Global), said his company used to receive about one inquiry a day for its residential services when it first started in December 2017, but that has increased to three queries daily this year.
The company has since outfitted 300 residential homes with solar panels. On average, households spend between S$18,000 and S$22,000, and the average home installs 30 panels. This would equate to about S$300 to S$400 saved a month, Mr Prasath estimated.
“We’ve installed panels in about 50 homes (so far) this year… people are concerned about the impact of the Ukraine-Russia war so they are looking for long-term solutions,” he said. His company had put up panels in about 95 homes for the whole of last year.
The panels have a warranty of 25 to 30 years, so homeowners stand to profit from installing them, he added.
The (solar) energy generated is often more than the household consumption, so when they sell to the grid, some of our customers even get negative utility bills each month because they’re owed money.
Mr Benedict Goh, chief investment officer of renewable energy firm UTICA
Mr Benedict Goh, a chief investment officer of UTICA, said another draw of solar panels today is the increased efficiency and return on investment.
“When we started selling goods related to solar panels in 2004, costs were much higher and the return on investment was around 10 to 15 years… people purchased to show off new technology, or because they wanted to go green,” he said.
“But now, it’s more efficient and costs (for the solar panels) have dropped by half of what they were in early 2010.”
Mr Goh said his company has done “hundreds” of installations, and inquiries for landed properties have increased by 30 percent in the past two to three years.
Solar panel installation companies told TODAY that they have seen increased interest in their services this year, with more homes looking to do their part for the environment while saving money.
“The energy generated is often more than the household consumption, so when they sell to the grid, some of our customers even get negative utility bills each month because they’re owed money,” he said, adding it can save customers between 40 and 80 percent of their monthly consumption bills.
Mr Christophe Inglin, co-founder and managing director of Energetix, added that residents stand to get a return on investment within four to six years, although that time frame is likely to be shorter as electricity prices increase.
Energetix focuses on installing solar panels for commercial projects, with residential installations making up less than 5 percent of its volume of sales. However, the company has also seen a spike in enquiries from homeowners.
While it would typically receive around two queries a month two years ago, the company now gets around six a week — mostly through referrals.
Mr Inglin declined to share the average number of panels installed but estimates a terrace house generates 10 to 15 kilowatt peak (kWp) a day, 15 to 25 kWp for semi-detached homes, and 20 to 60 kWp for bungalows.
However, while solar energy may provide future cost-savings, it has its own limitations.
For one, households still need to rely on electricity from natural gas as solar panels generate electricity only during the day. Dr Broadstock noted that many households’ demand for electricity increases at night — when people are back from work.
And while they can combine solar power with chargeable batteries, Dr Broadstock said battery technologies can be unsafe, which makes their use in residential and high-density urban environments like Singapore “challenging”.
The installation of solar panels is also subject to a building’s structural limitations, be it for a landed property or a HDB flat.
According to the Building Construction Authority’s (BCA) handbook for solar photovoltaic systems, there are constraints whereby standard development control guidelines apply — for example, if solar panels are to be installed on the rooftop of an attic, attic guidelines would apply.
Apart from possibly requiring an electrical installation license, BCA said in its handbook that existing buildings may require a professional structural engineer to carry out an inspection of the roof structure and calculate the structural loading.
“If the roof is unable to withstand the loading of the solar photovoltaic system, structural plans will need to be submitted to BCA for approval before a building permit can be issued for commencement of installation works,” the authority said.
It also noted that the solar panels are exposed to the threat of lightning strikes and hence, require proper lightning protection.
The installation of solar panels is also subject to a building’s structural limitations, be it for a landed property or a HDB flat.
LANDED PROPERTIES
For landed properties, the existing roof’s material and the angle it is it can make it expensive, unsafe and inefficient to install solar panels.
Mr Prasath said: “About 30 to 40 percent of homes that enquire are unable to install the panels.
“Some roofs have tiles that are glued directly to it, so it can become unsafe for us to clear up some tiles and place our brackets for solar panels on top. It may compromise the roof’s integrity.”
He added that roofs which are at a 45 degree angle or have protruding windows would not be suitable for solar panels.
CONDOMINIUMS
For condominiums, homeowners seeking to install solar panels will need to get approval from their management committees — commonly known as Management Corporation Strata Title, or MCSTs — and the authorities, and the green light is given on a case-by-case basis depending on various factors.
Both Mr Prasath and Mr Goh said that their companies have received inquiries from condominium homeowners interested in installing solar panels, but faced difficulties in getting the necessary approvals.
Condominium homeowners interviewed said that even if they manage to get the green light from their MCSTs to install solar panels,they are unsure if authorities require additional approvals.
Approvals aside, cost savings for condominium owners are also limited because they are ineligible to sell excess electricity to the national grid.
Their apartments also need to be on the top floors with roof access belonging to them, and where there is enough sunlight to generate electricity.
Mr Prasath added that another obstacle is that condominiums often use submeters, which allows condominium homeowners to track their individual consumption.
“Solar panel systems require testing and commissioning by SP Group before they can be connected to the grid, which (SP Group) only does for buildings connected to master meters such as (landed homes) and private-owned industrial buildings,” he said.
SP Group did not reply to TODAY’s queries.
HDB FLATS
For HDB flat homeowners, their options are further limited as solar panels not only take up space, but also require direct sunlight to generate a significant amount of electricity for home usage.
In 2020, a HDB resident made the news when he put up solar panels — reportedly weighing 10kg to 20kg — on top of a clothes-drying rack and an air-conditioner.
HDB told the media then that said such installations outside flats are not allowed as they may affect the structural integrity of the building, and can pose a risk to the public. It also reiterated that installations outside of a flat are prohibited unless approved by the town council.
Dr Chua from NTU’s division of economics noted that households on high floors can still tap solar energy in a limited fashion, such as hanging small solar panels at their windows and using them to power their mobile phones or laptops.
Smaller solar power generators are also readily available in the market. Such generators can cost anywhere from several hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars.
Mr Goh from UTICA, which sells such products, said they are commonly bought by hikers and campers looking to tap solar energy while outdoors. Some residents have also bought these generators to place in their balconies to power their mobility devices and other gadgets at home.
As part of a Government initiative to harness solar energy, HDB has to date installed solar panels on about 2,700 blocks and plans to reach 8,400 blocks in the next “two to three years”. In total, this will produce enough electricity to power 95,000 four-room flats.
On how these panels will benefit residents, the Ministry of National Development (MND) said in a written parliamentary reply on Jan 10 that the energy generated is “first used to power common services in HDB estates, such as lifts and lights”, and any excess solar energy will be channeled to the national grid.
“Town Councils managing these HDB blocks will enter into a service agreement with the solar vendor to pay for the solar energy consumed, at a preferential rate not higher than the retail electricity tariff rate,” MND added. “This may help the Town Councils in mitigating the rising cost of energy.”
How to save on electricity bills
For now, there remain significant limitations as to how individual households can turn to renewable energy as an alternative power source.
Nevertheless, consumers can still take matters into their own hands, in terms of reducing their electricity consumption.
For example, Ms Valerie Khoo, a 27-year-old wealth management consultant, said she does not use a fan or air-conditioner on cooler days but instead, leaves her windows open at night while she sleeps.
“With the (electricity) price increase, we’ve been a bit more conscious and my mom nags at us more about not using the air conditioner unless its really too hot,” she said.
Her family of four spends about S$120 a month on electricity for their five-room flat. Apart from ensuring they turn off the lights when not in use, they also chose a two-tick refrigerator — the highest energy rating available for her nearly 650 litre fridge when it was bought in 2018.
Apart from her parents and younger brother, Ms Khoo lives with the family’s two dogs. The food for her dogs takes up half the space in the freezer, she said.
The ticks system by the National Environment Agency (NEA) rates the energy efficiency of household appliances, with five ticks being the most efficient, and one tick being the least efficient. This is displayed on the energy label, which also shows consumers the annual energy cost of the appliance.
Ms Valerie Khoo does not use a fan or air-conditioner on cooler days but instead, leaves her windows open at night while she sleeps.
Ms Khoo said that while the family is keen to save electricity, the cost of big-ticket items has to justify the long-term savings, and be within their means, before they decide to buy a pricier appliance with a higher energy saving rating.
Like some other consumers whom TODAY spoke to, Ms Khoo said her electricity-saving habits have been shaped over the years, motivated by a desire to not just reduce her electricity bill but also to reduce her carbon footprint.
By using energy-efficient appliances and adopting good energy consumption habits, households will enjoy lower utility bills whilst contributing towards climate action.
National Environment Agency
Responding to TODAY’s queries, NEA noted that small habits can help reduce electricity costs — for example, simply using a fan instead of an air-conditioner can save households around S$384 a year based on electricity tariffs of S$0.26 per kWh.
“Based on an earlier household energy consumption survey conducted by NEA, cost-savings is the key motivating factor that households consider when deciding on the purchase of more energy-efficient appliances,” the agency said.
“By using energy-efficient appliances and adopting good energy consumption habits, households will enjoy lower utility bills whilst contributing towards climate action.”
To help inform consumers’ purchasing decisions, NEA said they can use its online Life Cycle Cost Calculator to check yearly energy costs and compare these with upfront costs for electrical appliances.
NEA also said its “enforcement checks” at retail outlets have shown that there are appliances with higher ticks that are not more expensive than those with lower ticks.
“With rising electricity prices, the higher cost of a more energy-efficient appliance can be quickly recouped and the owner saves even more over the appliance’s lifespan,” it said.
Under the government’s Climate Friendly Households Programme, one-, two- and three-room HDB households can register for S$225 worth of e-vouchers to offset the purchase price of resource-efficient appliances.
For example, households may get a S$150 e-voucher for the purchase of an energy-efficient refrigerator, or a S$25 e-voucher for LED lights.
Nevertheless, consumers can do more beyond opting for appliances that are more energy-efficient, experts said.
Mr Tan Tsiat Siong, lecturer at SUSS’ School of Business, said households should not just replace damaged appliances with more energy-efficient ones but do so with their older appliances as well.
Amid higher electricity prices, energy-efficient appliances can bring about long-term savings, Mr Tan reiterated.
He added that the simple actions of turning off switches when not in use, not leaving chargers on when devices are fully charged, and unplugging cords when not in use, can help reduce electricity consumption.
Likewise, Prof Mhaisalkar from NTU’s Energy Research Institute said homeowners can minimise energy losses through simple steps such as by ensuring their windows are sealed well when using an air conditioner or relying on natural ventilation instead.
Dr Broadstock from NUS’ Energy Studies Institute suggested setting the timer on appliances such as water heaters to help eliminate unnecessary energy consumption.
Households should also watch out for appliances with standby modes, which he dubs as “electricity vampires”.
“These constantly ‘suck’ a little energy from the socket even when on standby, hence the name ‘vampire’. Turning these off when they are not being used will help to reduce some power consumption,” he said.
He added that when it comes to saving electricity, a “reasonable guiding principle” is to look for options to reduce energy consumption without reducing quality of life and even gaining “co-benefits” in ideal situations.
“For example… take an extra 15 minutes to walk around your community after dinner, reducing the energy used at home while getting health co-benefits,” said Dr Broadstock.
Investors have had a lot to grapple with in the last few years.
The Covid-19 pandemic and a rapidly changing macroeconomic outlook have brought unprecedented risks and volatility to financial markets, while the urgency to fight climate change has become one of the biggest challenges facing governments and industries.
These developments highlight the importance of “sustainable wealth”, which HSBC Premier describes as growing assets not just for the short term, but for the years and generations to come. To achieve that, investment portfolios must be able to stand the test of time.
Many investors are now rethinking their approach to investing, and seeking new ways to future-proof their portfolios as they look to build long-lasting wealth. More than ever before, investors are exploring new sustainability-themed investments.
“Employing ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) factors is a must,” says Mr James Cheo, Chief Investment Officer, South-east Asia at HSBC Global Private Banking and Wealth. ESG refers to a set of criteria that investors commonly use to evaluate the impact of a company’s activities before making an investment decision.
“This will not only reduce the risk when it comes to investing, but also improve the resilience of your portfolio over the long run. That’s because the quality companies that you choose to invest in tend to deliver stronger, more sustainable earnings.”
It also allows investors to support the global movement towards a more sustainable and equitable future. The trend of aligning one’s values with investment decisions is taking off, especially among younger investors.
A survey by HSBC Global Asset Management last year found that over 82 per cent of investors in mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United Kingdom rate sustainable, environmental and ethical issues as “quite” or “very important” to their investments. In Singapore, that figure stands at 80 per cent.
But the investors estimated that on average, they explicitly consider ESG factors for only around 28 per cent of their current investments, according to the survey. That reveals a gap between investors’ intentions and their actions.
To help investors bridge the gap, HSBC has made sustainable financing and investment a priority. The bank has more than 150 years of experience navigating a constantly changing world, and it sees the transition to a net zero economy as a major opportunity for investors.
Mr James Cheo, Chief Investment Officer, South-east Asia at HSBC Global Private Banking and Wealth. PHOTO: HSBC
“Sustainability is at the core of what we do. It’s extremely important and central to our discussion when it comes to investment decisions,” says Mr Cheo.
“It is a journey and there will be challenges along the way. Ultimately, our role is to help our clients through this transition. We believe that every portfolio should and can be sustainable, with ESG at its core,” he adds.
Opportunities in ESG investing
Investors surveyed by HSBC Global Asset Management cite a lack of suitable investment products, and not wanting to limit their choices, as major barriers to sustainable investing.
But Mr Cheo says sustainable investment opportunities have increased tremendously in the last few years as more investors – especially those in Asia – become interested in the space, and the market for ESG products mature.
“Investors should start to take that first step to be invested,” Mr Cheo says. He suggests incrementally increasing one’s ESG investments “because that’s going to be a very important pillar to investing, especially in the years ahead”.
Integrating ESG considerations into your investment decisions will help create a more resilient portfolio that will stand the test of time. PHOTO: HSBC
He shares three broad themes that would offer investment opportunities in the years to come:
Energy transition: An increasing number of governments and industries have made net zero carbon emissions pledges, and the transition to a low-carbon future is set to involve major reconfigurations in the way industries and society function.
Winners from this megatrend are companies that successfully adapt to the transition. Producers of low-carbon or renewable energy, as well as those developing new technology that help the world in the transition, will also benefit.
In Asia, China’s ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2060 will herald a green revolution with significant investments aimed at increasing the use of clean energy, promoting electric vehicles and greening supply chains.
Protecting biodiversity: A research by the World Economic Forum found that more than half of the world’s GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature. So, damage to nature and biodiversity threatens global economic activity.
The winners in this area are companies in the circular economy, which promotes recycling and reusing products for as long as possible to reduce waste.
Social factors: The social pillar of ESG investing is receiving more attention as research shows that socially responsible companies perform better in the long term2. This is because companies with a more diverse workforce as well as those that respect human rights and focus on developing talent tend to have stronger leadership, happier employees, and more resilient operations.
Navigating economic uncertainties
Financial markets are likely to remain volatile in the coming months, given higher inflation, slowing economic growth and the likelihood of further interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve and other central banks.
“Such an environment requires investors to be more proactive in strengthening the resilience of their portfolios,” says Mr Cheo.
Steps that investors can take include reducing cash holdings to avoid having portfolio value eroded by inflation, and diversifying investments with a mix of stocks, bonds and alternative assets to hedge against rising inflation.
In terms of investment options, HSBC picks the US market for its economic growth prospects and those in South-east Asia, given the region’s reopening from pandemic-related closures. The bank also suggests adding income through dividend stocks and high-yielding bonds.
“Remember that time in the market is more important than timing the market, so they have to stay invested through the cycle,” says Mr Cheo.
ESG investing could help investment portfolios navigate current uncertainties and prepare for the major transition towards a greener and more equitable future.
“You have to look for quality companies that can thrive with higher prices, that can navigate a volatile environment. That’s why we think that ESG leaders are going to be one of the winners that will come out from this uncertain macro-environment,” says Mr Cheo.
But above all, investors should always pick investments that suit their risk appetite and profiles.
Approaches to sustainability-themed investments
Mr James Cheo shares that there are multiple ways to invest sustainably. Here are three of the most common approaches:
Firstly, investors can consider negative screening. This method involves excluding companies that are not aligned with investors’ values or investment objectives. For example, some investors exclude tobacco companies from their portfolios due to the harmful effects of smoking on health.
Secondly, investors can look across sectors and asset classes for companies that have high ESG scores3. ESG is a set of criteria that evaluates how a company operates in relation to environmental (such as how it uses energy or manages wastes), social (such as the treatment of workers) and governance (such as its choice of board members) factors. Companies with high ESG scores are seen as better-managed, and thus more likely to do well in the long term.
Thirdly, investors who want to achieve certain environmental or social objectives alongside financial returns can do that through a practice known as impact investing. For example, investing in research and development aimed at finding cures to diseases, or new technology to improve access to banks.
Making a difference together
HSBC is a firm believer in doing business responsibly and sustainably. It is also committed to encouraging customers to invest and live in a sustainable manner. For that, the bank has forged a global partnership with non-profit charity One Tree Planted to plant trees on behalf of clients in selected parts of Malaysia, Indonesia and India.
From now till June 30, customers who sign up for a new HSBC Premier banking account with the bank will have 10 trees planted on their behalf. For existing customers and staff of HSBC, up to 10 trees will be planted on their behalf for every ESG Unit Trust fund investment they make.
Visit www.hsbc.com.sg/esg to explore HSBC’s suite of ESG funds, which cover themes such as climate change, sustainable energy and healthcare.
Disclaimer: Customers are advised to make independent judgment with respect to any matter contained herein. This material is not and should not be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for any investment. You may wish to seek advice from a financial consultant before making any investment decisions. If you choose not to do so, you should consider whether the investment is suitable for you.
Footnotes: 1, 2 HSBC Global Private Banking – January 2022 – Q1 2022 Trend Brochure 3 ESG scores are calculated by rating agencies such as MSCI, Sustainalytics (owned by Morningstar), ISS, RepRisk, Refinitiv, Bloomberg, S&P Global, and FTSE. Refer to https://sustainfi.com/impact/esg-score/
Tesla is still aiming for annual energy storage deployments of 1,500GWh by 2030, which would require an average CAGR of 90% over the decade; something it achieve in the first quarter of this year.
The target was outlined in the previous impact report (2020) and repeated in its latest report for 2021. It is 375 times higher than last year’s deployment figure of 4GWh.
The target is certainly ambitious given it is nearly ten times what BloombergNEF reckons the entire global energy storage market by annual deployments will be by that point; 58GW/178GWh.
Tesla would need to maintain its current growth trajectory to reach its target, which implies a 93.4% CAGR from 2021 to 2030. The company’s storage deployments increased by 90% in the first quarter of this year, despite supply chain constraints.
Tesla’s Megapack, which have a maximum capacity of 3MWh per unit, continue to be selected for projects around the world. Image: Courtesy of Arevon.
By the end of the decade, it also aims to be selling 20 million EVs, which is more than 20x its 2021 figure of 940,000.
The Austin-headquartered company sells its home energy storage solution, the 13.5kWh Powerwall, as a product, which complements its solar roof and EV charging solutions. Its utility-scale energy storage solutions are the Power Pack and Megapack, the latter of which starts at 3MWh per unit.
It was recently revealed that it will supply Power Packs to sister company SpaceX for an expansion of the on-site energy sources at its Starbase launch facility in Texas, while its Megapack unit was used in a recently-commissioned 730MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at Moss Landing.
That 4GWh figure achieved in energy storage last year gave it a market share of over 15% of the global market last year of 25GWh, Tesla said, citing S&P Global figures. BloombergNEF’s slightly lower estimate for the 2021 market gives Tesla a higher market share, of 18.2%.
A Nasa climate research scientist who has spent much of her career explaining how global food production must adapt to a changing climate was awarded the World Food prize on Thursday.
Cynthia Rosenzweig, an agronomist and climatologist, was awarded the $250,000 prize in recognition of her innovative modeling of the impact of climate change on food production. She is a senior research scientist at the Nasa Goddard Institute for Space Studies and serves as adjunct senior research scientist at the Columbia Climate School at Columbia University, both based in New York.
Rosenzweig, whose win was announced during a ceremony at the state department in Washington, said she hopes it will focus attention on the need to improve food and agricultural systems to lessen the effects of climate change.
“We basically cannot solve climate change unless we address the issues of the greenhouse gas emissions from the food system, and we cannot provide food security for all unless we work really hard to develop resilient systems,” she told the Associated Press during an interview ahead of the ceremony.
Jose Fernandez, the undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, said more than 160 million people worldwide experienced food insecurity last year, a 19% increase over the year before, and one of the root causes is a decline in food production due to global warming.
Cynthia Rosenzweig at the Columbia University Climate School in New York City on 3 May. Photograph: Ted Shaffrey/AP
“Climate change has already had a significant and negative impact on global agricultural production and its impact is only going to get worse. We’re seeing rice fields drown in floods. We’re seeing other crops wither in drought. We’re seeing shellfish die in more acidic oceans and crop diseases are spreading to new regions. We likely would not understand all these problems as well as we do today without the work of Dr Cynthia Rosenzweig, this year’s World Food prize laureate,” he said.
The Des Moines-based World Food Prize Foundation award recognized Rosenzweig as the founder of the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project. The organization draws scientists from around the world and from many disciplines to advance methods for improving predictions of the future performance of agricultural and food systems as the global climate changes.
The foundation credited her work with directly helping decision-makers in more than 90 countries establish plans to prepare for climate change.
In her work, Rosenzweig has studied how farmers can deal with climate change and how agriculture worsens the problem. For example, she contributed to a research paper published last month that said global agri-food systems create nearly one-third of the total global greenhouse gases emitted by human activity.
Rosenzweig said the world needs to reduce such emissions and adapt to the changing climate. She noted that greenhouse gases come from many parts of food production, including the release of carbon and carbon dioxide through the clearing of forests for farmland and the oxidization of carbon through the plowing of fields. The use of fertilizer also releases atmospheric nitrous oxide, farm equipment emits fossil fuels and cattle release methane.
Rosenzweig, who describes herself as a climate impact scientist, grew up in Scarsdale, New York, a suburban area that she said led her to seek out life in the country. She moved to Tuscany, Italy, with her husband-to-be in her 20s and developed a passion for agriculture. Upon returning to the United States, she focused her education on agronomy.
She worked as a graduate student at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies in the early 1980s, when global climate models were beginning to show the effects of human generated carbon dioxide on the global climate. As the only team member studying agronomy, she researched the impact on food production and has been working since then to answer those questions, she said.
Rosenzweig’s work led to the Environmental Protection Agency’s first projections of the effect of climate change on the nation’s agricultural regions in the agency’s assessment of the potential effects of climate change on the United States in 1988. She was the first to bring climate change to the attention of the American Society of Agronomy and she organized the first sessions on the issue in the 1980s.
She completed the first projections of how climate change will affect food production in North America in 1985 and globally in 1994, and she was one of the first scientists to document that climate change was already affecting food production and cultivation.
The research organization she founded, AgMIP, develops adaptation packages, which could include the use of more drought-tolerant seeds and improved water management practices. In Bangladesh the group is working with rice farmers to develop new practices for managing rice paddies to reduce the significant release of methane produced by the existing process.
She said even the largest agribusiness corporations have shown a willingness to listen. She said some models colleagues have developed show how businesses could be effected by climate change and how they too have a role to play in reversing impact on climate.
“It’s really a global partnership of all the global food system to come together to restrain climate change and maintain the food security for the planet,” she said.
The World Food Prize Foundation president, Barbara Stinson, who announced the winner, credited Rosenzweig for innovations that helped countries respond to climate change.
Nobel prize laureate Norman Borlaug created the World Food prize in 1986 to recognize scientists and others who have improved the quality and availability of food. Rosenzweig will receive the award and make a speech during an October ceremony in Des Moines.
Cars are going electric but the rising piles of their used batteries will become a very big problem three to four years down the road. But the world can’t wait three to four years for a solution. “We need one now,” says Bryan Oh, chief executive of NEU Battery Materials, a Singapore-based startup that takes a unique approach to battery recycling.
Electric vehicles (EVs) put on the road in 2019 alone will eventually produce 500,000 tonnes of battery waste. By 2040, two-thirds of all car sales are expected to be electric generating 1,300 gigawatt-hours of waste batteries, according to the International Energy Agency. Currently, only about 5 per cent of Lithium-ion batteries, the rechargeable batteries most commonly found in EVs, are recycled globally.
Disposing of lithium, which is prized for its conductive properties, is particularly problematic. Typically, lithium isn’t recovered from the battery recycling process, because recycling it is complicated and involves multiple stages to purify it. A lack of a viable alternative means that it is currently cheaper to mine more lithium than recycle it. But this could change as global lithium supply comes under pressure.
Demand for lithium has quadrupled in the past 10 years. As a result, lithium prices have soared, quadrupling in a year. Elon Musk, the chief executive of electric automaker Tesla, said earlier this year that he would consider mining the element himself, to bring prices under control. Mining expert Joe Lowry said last week that lithium supply is falling worryingly short of demand, which is projected to be 14 times greater by 2030.
People drive a Tesla because they want to be green. But they don’t realise how much pollution is created from mining materials and manufacturing EVs.
Bryan Oh, founder and chief executive, NEU Battery Materials
Oh, who was among the winners of sustainability solutions contest The Liveability Challenge in 2021, believes his firm’s technology is a gamechanger in keeping lithium supply in circulation, using a method that has a low environmental impact.
Typically, recovering metals from batteries involves burning or using acid — both polluting processes. Oh’s method, which was developed by the National University of Singapore (NUS), uses electricity to extract the lithium from used batteries. This reduces the amount of chemicals and water needed in the process.
The technology is still in its pilot phase but Oh has ambitious plans to expand overseas and set up up in major EV markets, like China and Europe. He is about to close another round of seed funding as he eyes scale.
In this interview with Eco-Business, Oh talks about the impact of Covid and soaring lithium prices on his venture, the challenges of finding talent in an emerging industry, and what he wants to say to Elon Musk.
How does NEU’s battery recycling technology work?
NEU’s technology focuses on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. This is a type of lithium-ion battery increasingly used by Tesla and other major EV makers.
LFP batteries do not contain nickel or cobalt, so are usually considered of lower recycling value than other types of lithium-ion batteries. NEU’s technology can extract the lithium at lower cost.
An electrochemical process separates the batteries into iron phosphate and lithium hydroxide, at a recovery rate of more than 95 per cent and purity levels of about 99 per cent for both materials.
This process for producing battery grade lithium is up to 100 times less polluting and up to 10 times more profitable compared to existing recycling technologies, according to NEU.
What impact has the high price of lithium had on your venture?
By next year, some reports predict that there will not be enough lithium to support EV growth. The price increase is a clear sign that there is not enough supply. The price will continue to go up, and that could hurt EV adoption. Consumers are not going to pay double the price for an EV car. It’s urgent that we find alternative sources of raw materials to sustain industry growth.
What impact did Covid have on your venture?
We were born out of Covid. Before Covid I was working on a startup called PortaLockers, a portable storage system. Covid killed my startup, but it did give me the opportunity to work with the NUS Graduate Research Innovation Programme (NUS GRIP), out of which NEU Battery Materials was born.
There have been many downsides to Covid — I got the sense that businesses were less open to innovation, it was difficult in the beginning. But Covid did drive a change in the market perception of EVs. In 2019, nobody was really talking about electrification. But in 2020, we started to see regulations pushing for EVs as pressure grew on governments to fight climate change.
How far are you from being a fully functioning, commercially viable lithium recycler?
Our first milestone is to build the pilot site in Singapore, which should be up and running by the third quarter of this year. It may not be fully automated, but we will be able to collect all the data we need to scale the operation. We can achieve scale easier than other recyclers, because we use a cell stacks system that works like Lego. It allows us to adapt to changing market demand very quickly.
The EV market in Singapore is still young. Will you have enough used battery feedstock to sustain the business?
There isn’t the same level of feedstock in Singapore as there is in other markets, like China, Europe and the United States. So we will be looking to expand overseas over the next few of years. There is already a decent supply of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries in Singapore from older EVs, hybrid vehicles, energy storage units, power tools and forklifts. We’re working with a battery crushing company in Singapore, Secure Waste Management, that provides us with feedstock.
Where will you look to expand?
Where the big global EV markets are. Lithium is a key commodity for EVs. All of the world’s big EV markets are setting up their own domestic supply chains for EVs. Shipping batteries is more dangerous than transporting your average household products, so there’s a need for local recycling infrastructure to keep EVs materials in circulation locally. It also reduces logistical costs and the carbon footprint of production. This is why Tesla is setting up a new giga factory [which makes lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicle components] in the US, in addition to its factories in Europe and China. In China, more than 60 per cent of batteries are LFP now — and nobody’s recycling it. It’s an untapped market.
Clearly there’s a huge market opportunity for your technology, and the timing seems to be right. But what are the key challenges you’re facing?
One is regulatory support. This is still a new industry, and some regulations still need to be worked out along the way. But I feel the Singapore government is supportive of EVs [the government recently set a new target to reduce the city-state’s land transport emissions by 80 per cent from its 2016 peak “by or around mid-century”, and plans for every public housing area to be EV-ready by 2025].
Another is finding the right talent and skillset in a new field in a country with a young EV market [Oh is currently looking to hire an electrochemical engineer], particularly as we look to scale. Our company is built on technology. As long as we can demonstrate the technology with a successful pilot, the business and the partners will come, because we offer a recycling solution that nobody else has. People form the core of our technical knowledge, and we’re always looking for more.
Also, getting noticed by car manufacturers is not easy, as we are still small. I know that Tesla will be interested in us, as they will need to find a recycling solution in Singapore. If I could have five minutes with Elon Musk, I just need to tell him that we are recycling LFP batteries. I’m hoping that with the pilot site, we’ll be able to attract these guys to come down to look at what we’re trying to do.
Pressure on supply of the materials needed to make electric cars has provided impetus to supporters of deep-sea mining. What are your thoughts on deep-sea mining?
Deep-sea mining could ruin ocean ecosystems so that we can electrify the transport industry. It is ironic that we would be destroying the environment to protect the environment. But I do understand the reasons for deep-sea mining. Governments are in a race to electrify transport. If they don’t electrify as fast as other countries, they lose competitive advantage.
Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
I hope that we will have a global presence, with Singapore as the hub for innovation, with around 100 people. We’ll be recycling all LFP batteries and reducing a proportion of the waste from the EV industry. I want to create an industry that is clean and sustainable. People drive a Tesla because they want to be green. But a lot of people don’t realise how much pollution is created from mining materials and manufacturing EVs. We want to be able to offset some of this pollution.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
This story is part of a series on the finalists of The Liveability Challenge, an annual search for solutions to make Southeast Asia’s cities cleaner, greener places to live and work, backed by Temasek Foundation.
The recycling of e-waste must urgently be ramped up because mining the Earth for precious metals to make new gadgets is unsustainable, scientists say.
One study estimated that the world’s mountain of discarded electronics, in 2021 alone, weighed 57 million tonnes.
The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) says there now needs to be a global effort to mine that waste, rather than mining the Earth.
Global conflicts also pose a threat to supply chains for precious metals.
The RSC is running a campaign to draw attention to the unsustainability of continuing to mine all the precious elements used in consumer technology.
Waste electronics to outweigh Great Wall of China
Millions of old gadgets ‘stockpiled in drawers’
It points out that geopolitical unrest, including the war in Ukraine, has caused huge spikes in the price of materials like nickel, a key element in electric vehicle batteries.
This volatility in the market for elements is causing “chaos in supply chains” that enable the production of electronics. Combined with the surge in demand, this caused the price of lithium – another important component in battery technology – to increase by almost 500% between 2021 and 2022.
Demand for lithium batteries is only expected to grow
Some key elements are simply running out.
“Our tech consumption habits remain highly unsustainable and have left us at risk of exhausting the raw elements we need,” said Prof Tom Welton, president of the Royal Society of Chemistry, adding that those habits were “continuing to exacerbate environmental damage”.
Elements in smartphones that could run out in the next century:
Gallium: Used in medical thermometers, LEDs, solar panels, telescopes and has possible anti-cancer properties
Arsenic: Used in fireworks, as a wood preserver
Silver: Used in mirrors, reactive lenses that darken in sunlight, antibacterial clothing and gloves for use with touch screens
Indium: Used in transistors, microchips, fire-sprinkler systems, as a coating for ball-bearings in Formula One cars and solar panels
Yttrium: Used in white LED lights, camera lenses and can be used to treat some cancers
Tantalum: Used in surgical implants, electrodes for neon lights, turbine blades, rocket nozzles and nose caps for supersonic aircraft, hearing aids and pacemakers
All the while, the amount of e-waste generated is growing by about two million tonnes every year. Less than 20% is collected and recycled.
“We need governments to overhaul recycling infrastructure and tech businesses to invest in more sustainable manufacturing,” said Prof Welton.
New research by the RSC also revealed a growing demand from consumers for more sustainable technology. In an online survey of 10,000 people across 10 countries, 60% said they would be more likely to switch to a rival of their preferred tech brand if they knew the product was made in a sustainable way.
The survey also suggested that people did not know how to deal with their own e-waste. Many respondents said they worried about the environmental effect of unused devices they have in their homes, but did not know what to do with them or were concerned about the security of recycling schemes.
Elizabeth Ratcliffe from the Royal Society of Chemistry, told BBC Radio 4’s inside Science that many of us were “unwittingly stockpiling precious metals in our homes”, in old phones and defunct computers.
Previous RSC research showed that millions of us are unwittingly stockpiling precious elements by keeping old devices in our homes
“Manufacturers and retailers need to take more responsibility,” said Ms Ratcliffe. “Like ‘take-back’ schemes, meaning people can return their electronics to a retailer and be assured they will be recycled securely.
“All this volatility in supply chains really just reinforces the fact that we need a circular economy for these materials. At the moment, we’re just mining them out of the ground constantly.”
The society hopes to encourage people to take old and unwanted devices to recycling centres, rather than stuff them into drawers and forget about them. It points UK consumers to online resources where they can find the nearest centre that pledges to recycle computers, phones and other devices securely.
“The thing we always say is reduce, reuse and recycle. So perhaps keep a phone for longer and maybe sell an old phone or give it to a relative,” says Ms Ratcliffe. “It will need everyone working together to scale up these processes and put the infrastructure in place, so we can all recycle our devices.”
Europe will greatly accelerate the way it eliminates harmful chemicals, Brussels announced on Monday. Officials will block the use of large families of chemicals, instead of one by one. The EEB predicts that with this ‘the great detox’ 5,000 to 7,000 of the most notorious chemicals will be gone by 2030, including all flame retardants, bisphenols, PFAS and PVC plastics.
Thousands of the most notorious chemicals will be banned in Europe, officials announced on Monday, part of a zero pollution goal in the EU Green Deal.
The action will be the largest ever regulatory removal of authorised chemicals anywhere and covers substances that environmental, consumer and health groups have fought against for decades.
The news spread quickly, with 250+ headlines appearing across Europe, including at El Pais, Le Monde, The Guardian, TAZ, The Irish Times, Kurier, Le Soir and the front page of Denmark’s Information. Le Monde hailed the move as the “promise of a revolution” while the financial daily Les Echos wrote “Brussels intends to hit hard and aim wide.”
The plan is called the Restrictions Roadmap, a political commitment to use existing laws to ban all flame retardants, substances that are frequently linked to cancer, and all bisphenols, widely used in plastics but that disrupt hormones. It will also ban all forms of PVC, the least recyclable plastic that contains large amounts of toxic additives, and restrict all PFAS ‘forever chemicals’, plus around 2,000 harmful chemicals found in baby diapers, pacifiers, baby bottles and other childcare products. The list of chemicals is ‘rolling’, meaning substances could be removed or added.
European officials are unhappy that some 12,000 chemicals known to cause cancer, infertility, reduce vaccine effectiveness and generate other health impacts, are estimated by industry to be widely found in everyday consumer and professional products, including sensitive categories like baby nappies and pacifiers, but also food contact materials, clothes, furniture, etc. Officials consider the roadmap a rapid first step in an EU chemical strategy, with more fundamental changes coming later, starting in late 2022. The EEB estimates that the roadmap will lead to roughly 5,000 to 7,000 chemicals being banned by 2030.
Some chemicals on the roadmap list were already facing EU restrictions, but most are new. The banning process for all chemicals on the list will begin within two years. All substances will be gone by 2030, the EEB estimates.
Industry raised a “storm of protest” over early drafts of the plans and is expected to try to water them down. Chemicals make up the fourth largest industrial sector in the EU, with firms owned by some of Europe’s richest and most powerful men. Industry association CEFIC acknowledged in December that as many as 12,000 chemicals, present in 74% of consumer or professional products, have properties of serious health or environmental concern.
EU member governments unanimously support the roadmap, although Italy is opposing measures to ban PVC plastics.
European Environmental Bureau chemicals policy manager Tatiana Santos said:
“What Ursula Von der Leyen’s Commission has announced today opens a new chapter in facing down the growing threat from harmful chemicals. This ‘great detox’ promises to improve the safety of almost all manufactured products and rapidly lower the chemical intensity of our schools, homes and workplaces. All that said, this is a political commitment and not yet action. We’ll be watching officials closely to ensure they walk the talk.”
An estimated 200,000 chemicals are used in Europe. Global chemicals sales more than doubled between 2000 and 2017 and are expected to double again by 2030. By volume, three quarters of chemicals produced in Europe are hazardous. Scientists recently declared that chemical pollution had crossed a planetary boundary, while last month a UN environment report found that chemical pollution is causing more deaths than COVID-19.
Daily exposure to a mix of toxic substances is linked to rising health, fertility, developmental threats, as well as the collapse of insect, bird and mammal populations. Some 700 industrial chemicals are found in humans today that were not present in our grandparents. Doctors describe babies as born “pre-polluted”.
Official polling finds 84% of Europeans worried about the health impact of chemicals in products and 90% about their impact on the environment.
Traditionally, the EU regulates chemicals one by one, an approach that has failed to keep up with industrial development of a new chemical every 1.4 seconds. The EU has banned around 2,000 hazardous chemicals over the last 13 years, more than any other world region. But these restrictions apply to very few products, such as cosmetics and toys. Roughly the same substances will now be banned from childcare items, a larger product group than toys or cosmetics. In addition, most other chemical groups targeted in the roadmap will apply to many product groups, greatly expanding regulatory impact.
The roadmap will step up a group approach to regulating chemicals, where the most harmful member of a chemical family defines legal restrictions for the whole family. That should end a cynical and irresponsible industry practice of tweaking chemical formulations slightly to evade bans.
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