NTU launches $20m EcoCampus initiative

NTU launches $20m EcoCampus initiative

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) launched a new joint initiative yesterdayto reduce its energy and water consumption by 35 per cent by 2020.

The university will partner the Economic Development Board (EDB) and JTC Corporation, along with various companies, in the $20 million EcoCampus initiative - which commences with 12 research projects - to transform into one of the most environmentally friendly campuses in the world.

Eleven companies are participating in the initiative. They will test their innovative green ideas at NTU's 200-hectare campus, or in JTC's adjoining CleanTech park.

NTU provost Freddy Boey said: "We have high hopes that our collaboration will eventually lead to the commercialisation and improvement of energy-efficient solutions that will benefit not only Singapore but also the region and beyond."

One of the projects is by German firm Siemens, which uses a technology called Demand Flow. It allows a central cooling system to run at optimal performance, giving between 10 and 20 per cent in savings, said Peter Halliday, head of solutions and service for Middle East and Asia-Pacific at Siemens.

Other multinational corporations such as 3M and Holcim are also involved, along with local players, which include Joule-Air and Wifinity. S Iswaran, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, who was guest-of-honour at the event, said that many companies were keen on tapping the opportunities in the EcoCampus to refine their technologies before scaling up for other markets.

"We welcome strong industry participation in the EcoCampus, be it in terms of R&D, piloting lead demand, or commercialisation of innovative urban solutions," he said.

The initiative has two phases - an initial one to build innovative demonstration projects, which are then benchmarked and analysed, and a second large-scale implementation phase later. The $20 million will be funded by a combination of EDB's Living Lab programme, research grants and contributions from industry partners, JTC and NTU.

Prof Boey said: "We want to turn green into gold. I'm sure there will be a lot of economic benefits of going green."

This article was published on May 1 in The Business Times.

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