There is an interesting news in Singapore lately on geothermal energy for sustainable energy. Looking at our geographic location, this sounds pretty far fetched. After all, Singapore only have a small “hot spring” at Sembawang. Moreover, there are no volcanic activities or hot spots underground. Is this a realistic choice of sustainable energy?
Low Carbon Options
Geothermal energy is a common choice of sustainable low carbon energy. They are usually build in regions with geothermal energy near to surfaces like hot spring. This give easy access to geothermal energy without drilling deep into the Earth’s crust. Geothermal energy is also renewable and remains part of the Earth system.
Why Impractical in Singapore?
Unlike other sustainable options, geothermal is shown to have reduced output with times. You will also need to build geothermal plant over your existing geothermal resources. There could also be byproducts from geothermal plants that require special attention to these toxic materials.
Geothermal power is a good source of sustainable low carbon energy. However, it is interesting to see how far the exploratory study on geothermal energy in Singapore. After all, the geographic location play a key role in harnessing geothermal power. With this aspect, Singapore does not seem to be a good fit for this option.
Danny Kwok 