Singapore’s National Water Agency Launches S$6.5 Million ‘Carbon Zero’ Challenge

HeroX, the leading platform and open marketplace for crowdsourced solutions, launched the crowdsourcing competition, “The Carbon Zero Grand Challenge”. The challenge seeks to incentivize innovative solutions that can help Singapore’s National Water Agency (PUB), achieve net-zero emissions and scale to other water facilities around the globe.

PUB also provided details on its “Replace, Reduce, Remove” strategy to “close the carbon loop”. This will involve the implementation of new technologies, the deployment of more floating solar farms and the replacement of diesel-powered vehicles with electric vehicles (EVs).

As part of its strategy to achieve net-zero emissions by the middle of this century, PUB will award S$6.5 million for “game-changing solutions” that can eliminate carbon emissions from water treatment facilities.

Prize Purse to Be Awarded for Innovative Solutions to Address Emissions from Water Facilities

Following on from the opening of the 60 MWp Sembcorp Tengeh Floating Solar Farm in July, PUB announced that two smaller-scale floating solar farms at Bedok and Lower Seletar reservoirs had begun operations.

“These two floating solar farms, at about 1.8ha in size, are able to generate 1.5 MWp each,” PUB said.

“PUB currently harvests around 70 MWp solar power from both its land-based installations and floating solar photovoltaic systems which can offset 8 % of PUB’s annual energy needs” said PUB.