Why it will always be cool at Sentosa Resort

Source : Today - 2 Jul 2008

S’pore-designed: energy-efficient device cools air to 25 degrees Celcius

When the Sentosa integrated resort opens in a few years’ time, visitors may enjoy aircon temperatures even as they queue outdoors.

This is thanks to a new Singapore-designed device that chills air to about 25 degrees Celsius and consumes 20 per cent of the energy required by traditional air-conditioners using fans and solar panels.

Resorts World, which is developing the Sentosa IR, believes this will bring annual savings of $1.3 million.

The pioneering companies behind it are Ethos Engineering, Prima Research and Technology, and Resorts World itself.

The outdoor cooling system was tested at the Environmental and Water Technology Centre of Innovation in Clementi which was jointly launched by Spring Singapore and Ngee Ann Polytechnic in November 2006, and officially opened by Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Mr S Iswaran yesterday.

“The centre is like a “missing jigsaw puzzle piece” to our overall R&D effort,” saidMr Benjamin Kwek, sales director of Ethos Engineering.

“Instead of building a water lab for this project, we utilised the centre’s existing water lab and their expertise. We engaged the centre to do water tests and lots of other lab tests which accelerated our R&D tremendously,” saidMr Kwek.

If not for this testbed, the “eco-cooler” might have taken twice as long to develop.

The centre can be used any SMEs needing to develop environmental products.

Spring Singapore has also launched an EnviroTech Capability Development Programme to provide grants for SMEsinvolved in areas such as wastewater treatment, clean energy and air pollution treatment.

Individual companies typically receive about $50,000 to $100,000 in grants.

Spring has invested $12 million in its two initiatives.

With mounting concerns over climate change and rising energy prices, Mr Iswaran said that these initiatives come at an opportune time.

“The global focus on environmental issues and the industry is at unprecedented levels,” he said.

Currently, there are 3,000 companies in the environmental industry here, generating an annual output of $7 billion and employs 35,000 people.

Mr Png Cheong Boon, acting chief executive of Spring Singapore said: “We want to make sure that our SMEs are not left behind. Particularly because in many new areas, innovation comes from the small companies.”