Energy

Sabrina Tan Jie Ying (SDE), Zheng Zongde (FOE), Hu Han Ling(FOE), Wang Runqi (FOE)

Academic Advisor: Ms. Sadaf Ansari

Liquid soap use has skyrocketed in the APAC market in recent years. Its manufacture and use carries a high environmental footprint, while its plastic packaging directly contributes to increased waste. To mitigate this trend, our project aimed to raise awareness about the negative environmental impacts of liquid soap and promote the use of bar soap as an alternative. We designed an interactive workshop (n=21) with three key objectives: i) enhance knowledge about the detrimental environmental impacts of liquid soap; ii) engage participants in DIY bar soap making; and iii) compare commonly used brands of soaps as liquid and bar versions. We collected data from our workshop participants, and also followed up with them three weeks later to check if there was any change in their choice of soap versions. Our results found 95% of the workshop participants were willing to use and encourage others to use bar soaps, demonstrating a change in their attitude.

An Yebin (BBA), Chua Ming Quan (SOC), Kara Yeo (BBA)

Academic Advisor: Mr. Lim Cheng Puay

Climate depression is a fatalistic attitude towards climate change which can lead to adverse emotions and attitudes towards actions towards conserving the environment. One main reason is the high exposure to negative news and reports on climate change. Our team aims to address this problem amongst youths through social media and setting up a website highlighting positive news and achievements in addressing climate change. After participating in our workshop and viewing our Instagram page, over 50% of our participants are more knowledgeable about climate depression and are more aware of positive measures and solutions done to solve climate change. This strongly suggests that social media and online resources can have a positive impact on addressing climate depression.

Chia Wei Ling Janice (FOS), Justin Tan Min Shi (FOS), Tang Beiqi (FOS), Yang Liran (FOS), Zhu Le Yao (FOS)

Academic Advisor: Dr. Chua Siew Chin

Electrical dryers consume substantially more energy than other household appliances. Past projects tried to eliminate dryer dependency, but their results showed continual dependency on dryers for laundry in RVRC. Therefore, we aim to reduce the electrical consumption of dryers by educating RVRC residents on its high consumption through informative platforms – Instagram, stickers on dryers and posters, and to discourage high heat usage by using lower heat whenever possible. We conducted a pre- and post-campaign survey, set up a notebook for residents to record users’ dryer heat setting throughout the campaign and conducted a series of focus group sessions. From our results, i) usage of high heat has decreased significantly; and ii) majority of our respondents have learnt something from our campaign. Hence, educational posters and stickers on dryers proved effective in raising awareness of electrical consumption of dryers, and resulted in users opting for lower heat setting where possible.

Lee Hur Sebastian (SOC), Felissa Faustine (SOC), Chiau Ren Dao (SOC), Aloysius Choon Kai Boon (BIZ), Lee Jonghyeok (FASS)

Academic Advisor: Mr. Lim Cheng Puay

Human toxicity impact from disposal of metal strips within face masks is extremely high. With Singaporeans using more than four million masks daily, coupled with a low recycling rate, there is strong potential for recycling of these metal strips. As digital marketing is one of the most effective tools for engaging a wide variety of audiences, we aim to harness the power of social media to cultivate stronger consciousness of metal strip recycling.

We created an Instagram account with project-related, educational and empowerment posts. We also set up collection boxes across RVRC and gave the metal strips collected away to be reused. With over 1500 impressions on our Instagram account, over 200 metal strips collected and a change in RVRC residents’ mindsets over the course of our campaign, we had achieved our objective. Hence, tapping on social media garnered notable results in cultivating the recycling habit amongst RVRC residents.

Aditi Madhav Kamath (FASS), Chuang Kuang Yu, Martin (SOC), Liu Yize (BIZ), Lye Wen Jun (SOC) & Wang Ruofan (SOC)

Academic Advisor: Mr. Lim Cheng Puay

Air-conditioning is widely used in Singapore due to the year-long hot weather. However, aircon consumption requires a large amount of energy and is the second highest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Singapore. To tackle the lack of accessible substitutes to air-conditioning, our project aims to develop an alternative cooling solution to help nudge users to work in a warmer environment. We created an eco-friendly air-cooler using reusable materials, and reached out to youths via a i) 5-day challenge for user acceptance and ii) DIY workshop for experiential learning. Our prototype managed to achieve a temperature of 25.7˚C — a decrease of 2.7˚C. Participants of the 5-day challenge gave much positive feedback and expressed their willingness to continue using the product. Hence, the prototype is effective as an alternative sustainable cooling method and our users have successfully accepted working in non-air conditioned rooms through the 5-day challenge.

Duan Tianyu (FOS), Juay Liang Jing (YLLSOM), Lee Zi Jie (FOS), Maryanne Joju (FOS), Wang Xiaohan (FOS)

Academic Advisor: Dr. Chua Siew Chin

Energy consumption has been increasing over the past years. 90% of Singaporeans have access to smartphones and switching to Energy Saving Mode (ESM) is would help to reduce energy usage. We aim to increase the number of Ridge View Residential College (RVRC) residents using ESM, raise awareness about its potential to save energy and reduce e-waste, and determine the most effective method in encouraging ESM usage.

We created a poster, video and telegram channel to educate and encourage more RVRC residents to adopt ESM. The effectiveness of our methods were quantified through a pre and post survey involving the same respondents. We also interviewed 18 individuals for their opinions on ESM. After implementation, we expect to see an increase in frequency and number of RVRC residents using ESM. Hence, a combination of our methods proved effective in increasing RVRC students’ ESM usage, with video being the most effective method.

Cai Jia Lin (SOC), Goh Geok Hui Jovin (FOE), Kim Subin (FOS), Peng Wei Yao (FASS), Yong Jia (FOS)

Academic Advisor: Dr. Florence Ng

Global temperatures are increasing and people are using more cooling devices to keep themselves comfortable, translating to increasing electricity usage. To target this, we constructed a sustainable alternative that people can use to conserve both energy and material resources. We collected recycled materials such as styrofoam boxes and plastic bottles to make our prototype. Coupled with a handheld fan and ice cubes, our air cooler lowers the temperature of the environment and cools the user. Other than measuring the room temperature, wind speed and humidity, we also conducted interviews (n = 16) to survey user experience and to investigate if RVRC residents will use our device. From the results gathered, we conclude that our air cooler was reasonably successful as a majority of respondents gave positive reviews and demonstrated a willingness to substitute conventional cooling devices with our prototype (68.8% of respondents).

Beatrice Ng Jia Min (FOS), Chan Zhen Ying (BIZ), Chen Jia Jun (FOE), Justin Ong Wei Kang (FOE), Yab Yi Tong (FOE)

Academic Advisor: Dr. Florence Ng

Renewable energy sources are underutilised in RVRC. Based on an interview with OHS, we concluded that the root causes of the aforementioned situation are inaccessibility to renewable resources and the lack of awareness among the residents. Thus, it is important for us to promote the use of renewable energy sources in RVRC. Study lamps are commonly used amongst the residents, therefore our objective was to create a sustainable and environmental-friendly study lamp to raise awareness among RVRC residents. We conducted a survey and focus group to assess whether RVRC residents would be receptive to using our product and encourage them to consider solar energy alternatives for appliances. We conducted the focus group to corroborate the findings of our survey results. 87.1% of the surveyed residents were willing to switch to a more sustainable study lamp. Thus, it shows that RVRC community is receptive of LumiSolaris.

Chelsea Wong ShiLing (BIZ), Wang Jia Ning (FOE), Liu Ziao (FOE), Zeng Yu Ting (SOC), Xue Chuqiao (BIZ)

Academic Advisor: Dr. Florence Ng

The study lamps are not fully sustainable for the environment. The electrical energy used by the lamps is generated from fossil fuels which are non-renewable sources of energy. As fossil fuels are limited resources on earth, it may deplete even more in the future as the demand for electricity increases. Hence, our project objective is to transform the energy use of the lamps to become more efficient. We designed a new lamp that will reuse light and heat energy from the lamp to promote plant growth. We experimented and found that there is a 10 grams increase in the mass of the plant in the presence of the lamp as compared to without the lamp. We have conducted focus groups to receive further feedback to improve the lamp. We aim to encourage the use of sustainable lamps within the campus as even small efforts contribute to protecting the environment.

Lim Huan Ying Eugene (FOE), Liu Pai(FASS), Marcus Duigan Xing Yu (SOC), Mathan Mahendran (FOE), Munnamgi Harsha Vardhan Reddy (SOC)

Academic Advisor: Mr. Lim Cheng Puay

Singapore’s climate action plan (2019) states that transport accounts for 16% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in 2014. Private car services such as Grab now have at least 26,000 more vehicles than taxis(ST 2017). Our project aims to reduce its impact by encouraging carpooling in residential college students when they hire Grab cars. We used a Telegram bot that group students via ride-hailing services and connect students that are intending to travel to the same location to carpool together. This can reduce emission by 75% as compared to when the ride was taken alone. With the feedback from 60 RVRC students, 93.5% of the students indicated that they will use our telegram bot service again. Hence, we are confident that the implementation of our platform is well welcomed within the RVRC community and will definitely lower carbon emissions.

Alexis Yeo Lay Ting (FASS), Chew Cheng Yap (SOC), Elina Keshia Kosasih (SOB), Lee Jia Mei Charmian (FASS), Terence Ho Wei Yang (SOC)

Academic Advisor: Dr. Chua Siew Chin

Cutting down on the usage of heating systems for laundry can reduce Singapore’s carbon footprint by eliminating the unnecessary production of carbon dioxide. Our preliminary survey indicated that many RVRC students use hot water for laundry due to misconceptions and the lack of knowledge regarding cold wash. Thus, the objective of our project is to encourage RVRC students to actively switch to cold-wash through an educational approach. Our campaign consisted of i) a life-sized exhibit and colour-coding system and ii) a sticker labelling system to measure students’ choices over a two week period. We conducted pre and post exhibit surveys and followed up with a group of students to complement the observational studies. We found that the proportion of students who use cold wash increased by approximately 30%. Hence, education paired with the constant reminders prove effective in encouraging RVRC students to switch to cold wash for laundry.

Chan E Zan (BIZ), Ong Ning Wei (FOE), Siew Jia Yi (BIZ), Sitoh Sarah (FASS), Zou Mintai Patrick (FOE) 

Academic Advisor: Dr. Chua Siew Chin 

Singapore consumes immense amount of energy and every individual is responsible. Targeting tertiary students, this project aspires to reduce their energy consumption through education and raising awareness. We designed a board game to educate students, as games are more captivating as a teaching medium, and compared the retention in knowledge of the 32 players with 32 students who only read a descriptive essay. Pre- and post-surveys tested knowledge gained from the two teaching mediums and the data was analysed using a paired T-test. We found that 80% of students sampled expressed more inclination to modify their behaviours to reduce consumption. More students who played the board expressed that they were likely to change their habits than those who read the essays. Engaging students with games thus prove effective in educating and raising awareness of tertiary student, which could in turn motivate them to reduce energy consumption.

Ang Shi Wei Gwenda, Foon Xin Yi, Koh Jun Ming, Tiffany Tan Hui Hoon, Chehak Bhandari

Academic Advisor: Dr. Florence Ng

In Singapore, the use of air-conditioning is responsible for 24% of its electricity consumption (Abdullah, 2017). As the nation’s energy usage grows, its carbon footprints grow larger and become more harmful than before. This results in disastrous impacts on our environment, including rising temperatures and sea levels (MEWR, 2019). The issue becomes even more problematic upon the realisation that electricity wastage is still an ongoing problem today. While efforts to encourage conservation through social nudges have been present, they have generally been unsuccessful as there is still a high amount of electricity wastage, given the unpredictability of human behaviour (Houde, Todd, Sudarshan, Flora & Armel, 2013). Hence, this project aims to explore the effectiveness of alternative methods to conserve electricity, namely automated technology. Relating the observed issue to Ridge View Residential College, our initial survey found that an astounding 66.7% of respondents witnessed the air-conditioner left running while unused in the lounges three or more times per week (n=52). With this number in mind, we implemented our solution that automatically switches off the air-conditioner by connecting it to bidirectional infrared sensors that detect human presence and absence in the lounge. After comparing the amount of time by which the air-conditioner was observed to be left on unused before and after our solution was implemented, we concluded that electricity wastage has been reduced, with the sensors in place. Hence, we put forth the recommendation to shift future conservation efforts to technological-based methods in order to effect real, effective change.

Keywords: Energy, Energy & Climate, Sensor

Koh Wen Xiang, Nicol Lam Xian Li, Tran Quang Thanh, Zhang Anqi

Academic Advisor: Dr. Florence Ng

Given the undesirable and unsustainable future of Singapore’s current energy supply, there is a need for an alternative energy source like wind power to replace our heavy reliance on unsustainable energy sources like Natural Gas (Energy Market Authority. 2018). This project aims to determine the feasibility of installing wind turbines in RVRC to power up a 20000mAh power bank. We are going about this project by building our own version of wind turbine using low cost, recycled materials such as water bottles and umbrellas. Initial testing of our prototype involves putting it in a controlled environment of using a fan to blow at the turbine at a constant speed of 5m/s which is higher than the actual average wind speeds. Since results may vary between the controlled experiment and the actual experiment as there are variables like weather that will affect the wind speeds and its consistency, we decided to test the prototype at RVRC (Ridge View Residential College). We tested out the average wind speeds using an anemometer at 4 different locations, on different timings throughout a week, we identified that the RVRC Tower Block Level 8 balcony as the optimal location for installing and testing our wind turbine. Further testing is needed to account for variations in the yearlong weather patterns and the different monsoon seasons which have different wind directions that can affect the results of our experiment.

Keywords: Renewable Energy, Wind Turbine, Energy & Climate

Kang Chanwoo, Liu Guangyuan, Sun Xiuqi, Tran Quang Dat

Academic Advisor: Dr. Chua Siew Chin

95% of Singapore’s electricity is generated using natural gas. While natural gas gives Singapore a stable and well-connected electrical grid, it is unsustainable due to the high environmental and energy cost in extraction. Solar energy as an alternative to natural gas has been implemented in recent year. However, hydropower research in Singapore is still in its infancy. According to Meteorological Service Singapore, it rains an average of 167 days a year and much of the rain is heavy. Furthermore, Singapore has 8000 km of drains, rivers and canals. These gives Singapore a lot potential in harnessing hydropower from rainfall. Our group aims to examine the feasibility and efficiency of hydropower generation using Singapore’s rainfall, with minimal modifications to existing infrastructure. In particular, our project focuses on generating power from the rainwater harvesting system deployed by newly built HDB flats. We assembled a prototype with a small hydro turbine, water hose and a funnel to examine the effects of various parameters on the efficiency of hydropower generation. From the data collected and studies done on Singapore’s infrastructure, we examined whether hydropower from rainfall collected by buildings would prove to be a viable supplement to Singapore’s energy supply. While its prospects initially seemed promising, much remains to be developed and researched on, for the results from our experiment falls short of our expectation. However, it is still possible that hydropower generation from rain fall could be integrated into buildings and underground drainage systems to generate electricity on a larger level.

Keywords: Energy and Climate, Hydropwer, Rainfall

Benjamin Fheng Guo Jing, Kerie Tham Jialing, Ng Ca Lin, Ng Yong Zheng, Pang Kim Jin

Academic Advisor: Ms. Sadaf Ansari

2 billion people worldwide live in rural areas without ready access to hot water, with over 67% of them relying on burning biofuels such as crop residues or manure for their energy needs. While crop straws are a renewable source of energy, burning them inadvertently produces more than 550 kg of CO2 annually, significantly contributing to global warming (Niu et al., 2017). Our project aims to bridge this energy gap by designing an off-grid solution for environmentally-friendly water heating especially targeted at users in tropical.

The key design features of the water heater we designed are ease of fabrication, portability, and economical. Our prototype circulates water from a storage tank through a network of copper pipes, which are heated when placed under direct sun exposure, before storing the heated water back into the tank. To test this, we built and tested our prototype over 4 weeks to measure water temperature change in a controlled setup. We followed this with a volunteer group experiment to measure user comfort levels of the temperature of the heated water using our prototype and compared it to results from the electric heater.

We found that our solar-powered water heater prototype was able to consistently heat water above the average comfortable hot water shower temperature of 42.8°C. Based on these results, we have shared our prototype with NUS OCIP and recommend field testing the heater during NUS student OCIP visits.

Keywords: Energy

Bian Xiaoyan, Chen Su, Ding Ning, Zhang Yiping

Academic Advisor: Mr. N Sivasothi

Effective and sustainable last mile solutions in a transport systems can lead to reductions in carbon emissions by encouraging private car users to adopt public transport. In NUS, the shuttle bus system is a last mile solution which was supplemented by an e-scooter trial called GrabWheels. Our project examined the viability of GrabWheels as a safe, sustainable complement to the campus shuttle bus. We compared unit CO2 emission, efficiency and capacity of shuttle buses and E-scooters and made observations of the threat E-scooters posed to pedestrians, along two popular routes in campus. While E-scooters produce significantly less carbon dioxide than shuttle buses, they are only more efficient during non-peak hours. Parking space was inadequate at some stations, leading to pathway blockages. Most significantly, most pedestrian pathways are not wide enough to accommodate E-scooters alongside pedestrians. We conclude that while E-scooter have the potential to be an effective and sustainable complement, the problems posed in safety and parking areas need to be addressed.

Keywords: Energy & Climate, E-scooters, Shuttle bus

Chan Shi Jun, Kathlynn Wong Jin Tine, Kwok Kuin Ek Jeremy, Lee Jun Hong, Zhang Zilong

Academic Advisor: Dr. Chua Siew Chin

Clothes cleaning consumes both water and energy, which amongst other negative environmental impacts, could lead to global warming and climate change. Yet, our preliminary survey shows that even in tropical Singapore, respondents are unaware of excess energy consumption at higher temperatures, and primarily select hot or warm laundry wash temperatures. As studies have approximated a linear correlation between electricity consumption and wash water temperature, selecting a lower wash temperature would reduce energy consumption. However, there are limited studies on consumer’s laundry habits and their preference for either a low temperature or high-temperature laundry wash program. Given that approximately 0.015kWh of energy, equivalent of 25 minutes of fan usage, can be saved just by switching from a hot laundry wash to a cold one, our project aims to promote energy savings through a two-pronged approach. Firstly, educational posters will be put up around RVRC to educate residents on the best suited wash temperature for their textile type and the benefits of washing at a lower temperature. Secondly, we would experiment with a laundry sharing program as a viable way to cut laundry energy use. The success of our approaches would be based on pre and post surveys and an observational study on the actual proportion of resident who adopt lower temperature for laundry. This project contributes data on the potential energy savings of different laundry wash temperatures, highlights excessive energy usage in the laundry process and encourage consumers to change their laundry habits and use reduced temperatures.

Keywords: Energy and Climate, Laundry, Washer Temperature, Dryer