The inaugural Asia Future Energy Forum (AFEF) and 2nd Asia Smart Grid (ASG) kicked off this morning at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre. Organized by Reed Exhibitions and held in conjunction with the Singapore International Energy Week, the two events will feature a packed schedule of prominent speakers, lively panels and exciting new projects in the renewable and sustainable energy sector.
Over 60 speakers will share valuable insights with some 400 delegates, covering critical future energy topics, from bioenergy and wind power to energy storage and distribution.
“The Asia region today plays a leading role in the global movement towards cleaner and more sustainable energy. Asia boasts some of the largest clean energy deployments anywhere in the world, and in many parts, continues to receive wide support from both public and private interests,” said Ms. Michelle Lim, Managing Director, Reed Exhibitions Singapore. “This is evidenced by the many speakers, partners, exhibitors and fringe events that together make up the Asia Future Energy Forum and Asia Smart Grid.”
One of the key growth areas for Asia is bioenergy. Nearly half the conference agenda is dominated by a focus on bioenergy innovation and investment. The Sustainable Energy Association Singapore (SEAS) has also put together a full day bioenergy masterclass for professionals in renewable energy markets.
Mr. Edwin Khew, Chairman of SEAS, said, “Creating fuel from biomass is a unique win-win situation, reducing our dependence on traditional fossil fuels and transforming it into a useful product which would otherwise be discarded as waste. A good example is transforming food waste into CNG or bio-gas. Unlike solar and wind which are intermittent sources, biofuels can play a special role in the transition towards clean, sustainable energy sources which can provide sustainable energy on demand. The various bioenergy tracks and master classes organised during the AFEF will provide governments as well as enterprises an understanding on bioenergy technologies and developments in this part and other parts of the world allowing this technology to be utilized fully.”
Other notable activities taking place at the three-day event include:
Presentations by renewable energy project developers to potential investors at the Innovation Hub, organised in partnership with Bloomberg New Energy Finance
Renewable Energy Investor Forum, organized in partnership with SEAS for Singapore-based clean energy players to learn and network with partners and investors from around the world.
Smart Utility Network technology presentations and open house, organised by the Wi-SUN Alliance, to promote industry-agreed standards in smart grid applications and products.
NUS Presentation and Panel Discussions organised by National University of Singapore, NUS Energy Office, NUS Enterprise and the Office of Environmental Sustainability, features a panel discussion on the theme of “From Lab to Market” and a talk on “Nuclear Power in Singapore”.
M2M: Driving a World of Connected Devices is a presentation by ZOHO Corporation on the WebNMS Framework for enabling machine-to-machine communications.
With all this activity on and around the show floor, exhibitors have been upbeat about business and networking opportunities.
“Smart Grid is revolutionising electricity production and distribution across the globe and massive investments are being made in monitoring the complex power grid – which is the area of strength for WebNMS Power Grid Monitoring Solution,” said Prabhu Ramachandran, Head of WebNMS M2M
Solutions at ZOHO Corporation. “I believe that the 2012 edition of Asia Smart Grid would give the industry an excellent platform to bring together sustainable technologies for the globe.”
Daven Chang, Director of Singapore Solar Techniquei, said, “Singapore Solar Techniquei (SST) has developed broad experience in the engineering and know-how of solar and thermal technologies, through partnerships with Austrian solar thermal specialists. The Asia Future Energy Forum presents a great opportunity to demonstrate SST’s new, innovative solutions, advanced technologies and products, available to prospects in the region.”