The Depletion of Fossil Fuels

1760 Words4 Pages

Abstract— As the world began to raise concerns on climate change and rapid depletion of fossil fuels, there is a need to hasten the solutions for clean energy generation with renewable sources. Solar energy has the potential as an alternative source of energy as it is renewable, universally accessible and emits very low or zero CO2 gases. Solar photovoltaic (PV) system applications are suitable in Singapore due to its equatorial location, with high solar irradiation of 17MJ/sq.m-day and the ability to generate up to 220kWh of electricity per day in combination with the country’s high rise urbanization. Despite being a small nation, the energy consumption is 37,974.2 GWh and is ranked 53 out of 216 countries which lead to high CO2 emissions. In year 2005, the total CO2 emission in Singapore is 133.85 million metric tons, ranked at 41. The government in Singapore had begun to support the need for a cleaner environment by providing incentives for building of solar PV systems in commercial sectors; one example is the Solar Capability Scheme (SCS), which has a budget of $20 million, and subsidies 30% of the total cost of cap of S$1 million per PV project..

Index Terms— CO2 gas, Solar PV systems, Fossil fuels, Singapore, electrical energy

I. INTRODUCTION

Electrical energy is produced by combusting non-renewable fossil fuels [1] which are not infinite and will eventually be depleted. There are several models developed to calculate the depletion of fossil fuels but there are no definite answers on the actual date for depletion of fossil fuels due to constantly changing trends in consumption and reserves [2]. One of the models used for forecasting the diminishing rate of fossil fuels is the altered Klass equation as shown in Eq...

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...VII show that there is a need for solar applications in Singapore for a cleaner environment. With the strategic location along the sun belt with high solar irradiation makes Singapore a suitable place for solar PV systems deployment. Applying solar systems in Singapore enables the production of electricity without depending on fossil fuel combustions, hence, the ability to sustain the increasing electricity demands without having to worry about sudden increase in fuel prices. Lastly, with the support from government, more private sectors such as industries will be able to engage in renewable energy projects in buildings that will turn the energy consumers into energy generators.

AUTHORS

Low Y.S, is with the School of Electrical & Information Engineering, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Blvd, Mawson Lakes (e-mail: lowyy006@students.unisa.edu.au).

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