Fwd: Singapore’s 19th-century cooling tech

[Loretta Lohman]

Read in browser

Singapore is one of the biggest per capita users of air conditioning in Asia. But the government is keen to kick the habit in favor of more efficient solutions including district cooling. In today’s newsletter we venture deep underneath the island city to see the decades-old technology that’s winning new attention as a way to cool down entire neighborhoods. Plus, a new United Nations assessment of ocean health. Subscribe to Bloomberg to get unlimited access to all our stories. An old climate solution By Sing Yee Ong and Ishika Mookerjee Deep underneath Singapore’s northeastern district of Punggol, a five-kilometer network of metal pipes roars as it pumps chilled water to cool offices and classrooms overhead. The 140-year-old concept known as district cooling is taking root in the tropical island-nation, where temperatures are rising twice as fast as the global average and sharpening the focus on climate adaptation. That the old technology uses less electricity than centralized air conditioners is a major advantage for a resource-starved country that has to import nearly all its energy. The city-state has laid such pipes beneath at least eight neighborhoods so far, with the Marina Bay network — the world’s largest underground system — having begun operations in 2006. More buildings will be linked up to that system, and separate facilities are being rolled out in other parts of the city by firms like Keppel EaaS Pte. Pipes carrying water from Engie’s district cooling network in the Punggol area in Singapore. Photographer: Stephen Stapczynski/Bloomberg The rollout comes as energy security takes center stage in countries, including Singapore, that are reeling from energy shortages caused by the US-Iran war, while also bracing for an exceptionally hot summer due to a projected “Super El Niño.” District cooling is a solution that’s gaining traction around the world, particularly in the Middle East, and is projected to grow to a $60 billion market by 2034 by one estimate. “Cooling demand is rising with urbanization, income growth, heat stress and commercial floor-area expansion” across Southeast Asia, said Lee Poh Seng, professor and head of mechanical engineering at the National University of Singapore. Singapore’s playbook will be important if it can “demonstrate district cooling systems that credibly deliver energy, water, carbon, comfort, reliability and economic performance under hot and humid conditions,” he said. The local market for the technology could double over the next decade from about 323,000 refrigeration tons today, according to Engie SA, which is among the world’s largest operators of such facilities. The firm runs two systems in Punggol district capable of cooling about 8,000 public housing units. It also sees potential to double district cooling capacity in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines by the next decade, said Jacques Boonen, Engie’s managing director for local energy infrastructures in Southeast Asia. Read more Long history 1889 When the first generation of district cooling systems was installed in Denver, using ammonia or brine solutions as distribution fluids. Hot design “Climate change is driving baseline temperatures higher, but the way we build our cities is what traps that heat” Vishwas Chitale Team lead for climate resilience at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water. Ocean crisis By Todd Woody A new United Nations assessment of ocean health documents a “deepening crisis” as climate change, pollution, overfishing and biodiversity loss threaten marine ecosystems crucial to human survival. The result is rising sea levels, acidifying seas, dying coral reefs and declining fish stocks that supply 20% of the animal protein humans consume, according to the report released Monday and compiled by 600 scientists from 86 nations. It’s the third World Ocean Assessment since 2015 and was last updated in 2021. Dying Staghorn coral in a reef in Trat, Thailand. Photographer: Sirachai Arunrugstichai/Getty Images AsiaPac “The coming decade is decisive: without rapid, coordinated global action, ocean health will continue to decline, threatening climate stability, biodiversity resilience, food security, livelihoods and the well-being of billions,” Ian Butler, a lead author of the assessment and a marine ecologist with the Australian government, said in an email. The assessment estimated that up to 45% of global economic activity takes place on the world’s coasts and that 3 billion people live within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of the ocean. “Contamination and pollution, such as plastic waste, agricultural run-off, sewage and chemicals, are major contributors to the decline in ocean health,” stated the 1,352-page report. Those pollutants, meanwhile, are accumulating in marine organisms, their effect magnified up through the food chain to animals eaten by people. Read more More from Green UBS Reduces Asia ESG Staff by Half in Global Restructuring It’s part of a broader global restructuring, according to people familiar with the matter. Extreme Heat Risks Losses for Indian Suppliers to Uniqlo, Tesco The garment factories are suffering productivity losses of as much as 10%, according to a new report. Alibaba, Baidu Accused by Pentagon of Aiding China Military It doubled down on an earlier decision to label the crown jewels of China’s corporate world as threats to US national security. More from Bloomberg Business of Food for a weekly look at how the world feeds itself in a changing economy and climate, from farming to supply chains to consumer trends Energy Daily for a daily guide to the energy and commodities markets that power the global economy Tech In Depth for analysis and scoops about the business of technology Explore all Bloomberg newsletters. We’re improving your newsletter experience and we’d love your feedback. If something looks off, help us fine-tune your experience by reporting it here. Follow Us You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg’s Green Daily newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, sign up here to get it in your inbox. Unsubscribe Bloomberg.com Contact Us Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10022 |