Strait Ahead: Toward a Sustainable, Economic, and Secure Electricity Supply in Singapore

Given the increase in global energy consumption in tandem with economic growth and finite supplies of fossil fuels, the cost of producing electricity from conventional generating sources has increased steadily. At the same time, rising CO2 emissions have strengthened the impetus in the international community to address climate change issues through strategies such as energy efficiency and promoting renewable and alternative sources of energy. Such trends have an important bearing on Singapore given its scarce natural resources. They open up a window of opportunity for Singapore to pursue growth in research areas such as clean energy, microgrids, smart grids, and innovative ideas to enhance the efficiency of its electricity supply system and to better position itself to meet its energy needs.