Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Veloicaza | The U.S. military community in Singapore observed Public Works Week, May 21-25, 2018...... read more read more
The U.S. military community in Singapore observed Public Works Week, May 21-25, 2018 bringing forth a new campaign to help bring new technologies to the public’s awareness.
During the week-long event, the Public Works Department for the Singapore Area Coordinator (SAC) promoted awareness through signage campaigns, coordination of a local tour focusing on future technologies, and hosting a youth engagement activity to help educate kids on the importance of energy sustainability. For Lt. Cmdr. Riley Smith, Public Works Officer, Singapore Area Coordinator, the week’s efforts was widely observed.
“Our goal was to emphasize the everyday relevance of Public Works to the Sembawang Naval Installation community,” Smith said. “I believe we were successful in doing so.”
The highlight of the week’s events included a tour of Singapore’s Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), in which participants met with researchers from the Berkeley Education Alliance for Research in Singapore, Ltd. (BEARS). The BEARS representatives showcased some of the latest research in both harvesting solar energy and building technologies for tropical environments. The collaborative research is an approved initiative by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Singapore, a department of the Singapore Prime Minister’s Office.
According to Matt Sherburne, Materials Science Engineering Department, from the University of California, Berkeley, the efforts with U.C. Berkeley and Singapore is about finding viable energy solutions. This includes advancements in solar harvesting with which a program specific to this, entitled, Singapore-Berkeley Research Institute for Sustainable Energy (SinBeRISE), was developed and is currently housed at the CREATE campus.
“Berkeley’s effort in Singapore is really focused on sustainability and sustainable energy,” Sherburne said. “Developing low-cost, high efficiency solar cells that will be deployable in a variety of ways such as flexible solar cells or building-integrated photovoltaics.”
One of the main efforts that SinBeRISE researchers are undertaking is implementing the chemical compound, perovskite, in new photovoltaics. Perovskite is a calcium titanium oxide mineral composed of calcium titanate. Currently, the most commonly used compound used in most solar cells is Crystalline Silicon. Perovskite is offering new ways to make solar cells more affordable and easier to mass produce with relatively comparable efficiency in the 15-to-20 percent range compared to the 20-to-25 percent efficiency of Crystalline Silicon solar cells.
According to Smith, the perovskite solar cells under development by SinBeRISE have great potential to add passive power generation to any building with glass windows.
“It's important for Public Works personnel to be aware of the latest developments in technology so we can incorporate those improvements into future projects as we work to meet the Secretary of the Navy's goal to produce at least 50 percent of shore-based energy requirements from alternative sources,” Smith said.
Meanwhile, the Public Works staff hosted a youth-oriented activity to educate the community's youth about the services that Public Works provides. According to Dawn Szewczyk, Assistant Regional Engineer, SAC, the youths watched an impactful video entitled: "A Day Without Public Works."
“This demonstrated to the children what would happen if public works services like solid waste disposal, water and wastewater and electricity utility services and maintenance of facilities, roads and bridges all stopped for one day,” Szewczyk said. “Public Works is the means to providing clean, healthy, safe communities for people, and impacts everyone each and every day.”
With ever-changing technologies unfolding over the horizon, the Public Works department is looking to enhance next year’s events with a renewed fervor.
“For next year's event we look forward to increasing awareness of how Public Works positively impacts every member of our community,” Smith said.
| Date Taken: | 05.25.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 06.01.2018 04:14 |
| Story ID: | 279139 |
| Location: | SG |
| Web Views: | 176 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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