tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348464617577736454.post3170629332601569087..comments2024-03-28T21:39:05.175+08:00Comments on Senang Diri: Singapore must choose alternative energy source before LNG supplies run out David Boeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11401913253357584603noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348464617577736454.post-78983585620366948512016-02-04T09:18:55.777+08:002016-02-04T09:18:55.777+08:00Just to add on to my earlier alternatives:
- Ethan...Just to add on to my earlier alternatives:<br />- Ethanol solar farm (using microbes and/or fast growing plants) probably cheaper than methane solar farm as ethanol's natural state is already liquid form and hence, save costs/energy in the initial liquefaction and its maintenance during transport and storage till actual use. Also, no necessity for farm to be near one of the few LNG ports as ethanol can be handled by any normal port.<br /><br />All the alternatives are of course not financially viable now in the current low oil price environment. However, the problem is when oil price eventually recovers, the reaction time will probably be not sufficient if no preparation is done beforehand.relac1234https://www.blogger.com/profile/09614973951542677065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348464617577736454.post-6377375104179958722016-02-03T13:29:33.821+08:002016-02-03T13:29:33.821+08:00Yes, food exports of those European countries were...Yes, food exports of those European countries were banned but the countries were still livable (as they only had transitory air contamination) and eventually recovered. It is different when you are at ground zero with soil (as well as soil water) and structure contamination - you basically lose your whole county/country forever (or until such time that the ground radioactivity dies out which we all know will take more than a lifetime).<br /><br />I do not have a magic bullet for the national resilience problem (else I would be a minister instead). <br /><br />All I do know is that there is no nuclear solution that is zero risk and any vendor that claims so is probably just basing on computational simulation and certain assumptions and has not had a chance to prove the design fully in a real disaster [earthquake, tsunami, terrorist attack, typhoon, tornado (which are starting to appear in this part of the world due to climate change), giant solar flare, fallen satellite/meteor strike etc and most scary of all human error]. Anyone who knows the theory of engineering reliability will know that the more complex the system is with many interconnected parts, then the chance of 100% reliability is close to impossible.<br /><br />If you want to press me for some possible alternatives to nuclear energy, then could consider:<br />- buy land in Australia (say, near one of its LNG terminal ports) to have solar farm to generate methane and ship to Singapore. LNG is mainly methane and I suspect can use the LNG infrastructure to liquefy and ship methane and use it to generate electricity. Since all these already in place, the incremental cost is not as much as other solutions where may need to build transport/transmission/power generation infra from scratch.<br />- geothermal power as Singapore geography is supposed to have excellent heat flow for such power. Also geothermal overcomes some of the space limit that solar, wind, tidal has in the Singapore context<br />[perhaps all the above are already part of the plans in place?]relac1234https://www.blogger.com/profile/09614973951542677065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348464617577736454.post-35236629849822195172016-02-03T00:56:04.557+08:002016-02-03T00:56:04.557+08:00"Green buildings" with solar panels rema..."Green buildings" with solar panels remain a near future possibility in the high rise CBD area. Of course the cost of such installations might not appeal to the building owners.<br /><br />I really think there's no choice in the matter, but is Singapore pumping out enough Physics graduates and post-grads in the relevant fields? Or it would be a case of what we see in universities now with most top positions and post grads being imported. I won't argue against having locals but from what I've heard supply(that meets the requirements) cannot be met.<br /><br />The biggest impediments are thus Public Perception and Human Resources. All others can be solved with the typical Singapore ingenuity but these two are harder.Jakeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07496637851107800499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348464617577736454.post-22141895214013315322016-02-02T14:24:09.983+08:002016-02-02T14:24:09.983+08:00@Relac 1234,
The two Level 7 nuclear disasters - C...@Relac 1234,<br />The two Level 7 nuclear disasters - Chernobyl and Fukushima - had a footprint many times the size of Singapore. At the height of the Chernobyl disaster, food exports from some European countries hundreds of km from ground zero were not allowed to be imported here.<br /><br />So the scale of a "once in a lifetime" nuclear incident will impact us even if the plant is many miles across the horizon.<br /><br />Am keen to hear your take on the point about national resilience in energy supplies.<br /><br />db<br /> David Boeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11401913253357584603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348464617577736454.post-70733391490859578582016-02-01T17:23:31.022+08:002016-02-01T17:23:31.022+08:00We simply have no choice but to bank on one or mor...We simply have no choice but to bank on one or more of the small nuclear reactor designs out there maturing within this decade. Fortunately for us, the nearest operational nuclear reactor still looks to be in Java or Vietnam within the coming 10 years. Our immediate neighbour up north is not likely to have anything up and running within the next 15 years, although I suspect if they can, they will build one at Kota Tinggi.tragickingdomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16819550463900366658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348464617577736454.post-90492021072483210982016-02-01T13:38:06.381+08:002016-02-01T13:38:06.381+08:00In late 2010/early 2011, the government was alread...In late 2010/early 2011, the government was already in the process of preparing the public for nuclear power in Singapore and there was some talk in the Singapore parliament on this which fortunately (or unfortunately for the nuclear power vendors) was interrupted by the Fukushima incident.<br />I agree that nuclear is a good option BUT ONLY if you have a large land mass for your country where you can afford to lay waste to one portion of it should a nuclear accident occur.<br /><br />Singapore does NOT have that luxury.<br /><br />You mention that if we don't do it, others will and perhaps place their stations near to Singapore. <br /><br />The chance of nearby nuclear stations in other countries will not be that great because Johor state is reasonably heavily populated, and so unlikely that a nuclear station will pop up in Johor state itself. <br /><br />For Indonesia though they could build a station in Riau islands but it is too far and separated by water from their major cities that require the power.<br /><br />I am sure the Singapore Govt will have the good sense to know that low chance of nuclear accident does not mean no chance (to paraphase the good saying from the Police force) and all it takes is for a once in a life-time accident to take place, and the whole of Singapore will be no more livable. (We have seen many events nowadays that should not have taken place but did e.g. Orchard Road flooding - so best not to tempt fate).relac1234https://www.blogger.com/profile/09614973951542677065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2348464617577736454.post-55742455590128465752016-01-31T11:58:02.719+08:002016-01-31T11:58:02.719+08:00I think solar power by photovoltaic cells is out o...I think solar power by photovoltaic cells is out of the question. Singapore simply do not have the large surface area required for the amount of energy generation by direct sunlight to power the city. Maybe a combination of several giant wind powered generators along with solar panels that covers almost the entire Singapore island and some offshore installations that do not pose a hazard to shipping could be considered, but probably an unlikely reality. The best alternative is nuclear power. The 1000 MW Advance Pressurized Water Reactor (APWR) from Westinghouse would be the best choice. It has the latest technological improvements from the earlier models that's being used in China and Korea and many parts of the US. There is really nothing to fear from the concept of a nuclear powered system of generating heat to boil water to drive steam turbines to spin electrical generators to make electricity. Of course the primary concern here is safety considerations especially with the primary systems within the containment, fuel and spent fuel handling and storage. The monitoring and protection systems are well designed with several redundancies to ensure that operators are presented with extremely reliable information of the status of the plant throughout its operating range from startup to shutdown. Existing fossil power station engineers and operators can be easily trained to include nuclear power which strongly advocates strict adherence to correct operating procedures and guidelines from the NRC. The plant/s can be located on a reclaimed offshore island. We may have no other choice in the matter if we are to stand alone in the search for sensible alternative energy to power the nation in the near future. I have worked in nuclear power plants and its safeguards and protection systems and I know it is a safe bet. <br />We have to live with fission for a bit longer. Nuclear fusion still a long ways to go.<br />Fred Lee<br />Fredleeway@gmail.comAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01254127703558529202noreply@blogger.com