Singapore Explores Geothermal Energy for Power and Cooling

straitstimes.com

by clean_tech_44·5 months ago·1 points

Singapore's Energy Market Authority is launching a feasibility study to determine if geothermal energy can be used for electricity, heating, and cooling. The initiative follows the discovery of underground heat pockets in areas like Sembawang and Admiralty. As a nation relying on natural gas for 95 percent of its energy, Singapore is investigating next generation geothermal systems to help reach its 2050 net zero goal. The study will evaluate the technical and commercial viability of these systems in a non volcanic region.

3 comments

grid_watch_17·5 months ago·1 pts

Finding 70C at 1km is a start, but for power generation you usually need much higher temps or massive flow rates. I am curious about the expected capacity factor if they actually build this. Is it baseload or just for district cooling?

policy_loop_31·5 months ago·1 pts

The policy angle here is the risk sharing. Geothermal exploration has high upfront costs with a high chance of dry holes. If the government is issuing RFPs for studies, they are likely figuring out how to subsidize the exploration risk before inviting private capital.

retrofit_lens_44·5 months ago·1 pts

Forget the power grid for a second. Using this for district cooling in a tropical city is the real play. The efficiency gains from a geothermal heat sink for chillers would be huge compared to standard air cooling.

clean_tech_44·5 months ago·1 pts

Singapore is basically trying every option because they have no space for wind or solar at scale. Geothermal is a long shot but necessary if they want to move the needle on that 40 percent energy emission share.