An increasing number of companies are seeking advice on how to be more efficient in the management of energy and their resources. Because of this, the right technologies and solutions needs to be developed to meet the needs of these companies. Thus SEAS is leading the Incubator and Accelerator programme.
Besides the initial help with assisting the company with business intelligence and advisory for their specic technology, this programme has a unique selling proposition – it allows for testbedding opportunities in JTC buildings thanks to the MOU that JTC signed with SEAS. Mentorship, funding, market knowledge and networking opportunities are also available for companies that go through the programme. SEAS spoke to Vinod Kesava, Co-Founder / MD & CEO of Climate Resources Exchange from Singapore, and Massimo Bergadano, Founding Partner PHPower from Italy who went through the programme. SEAS helped connect Climate Resources Exchange to clients and they advised a large pharmaceuticals company on how to make their production processes more energy efficient. PHPower is an Italian clean energy company that hoped to expand its business in Asia, but didn’t have much insights about the markets in the region and didn’t know which aspects of their business should be developed here. Thus, SEAS helped connect them to relevant contacts and provided business insights.
SEAS: Climate Resources Exchange (CRX) is a young company but is helmed by a team that is very experienced. What do you hope to achieve by coming together as a team?
CRX: The current incarnation of CRX which has been restructured, revitalized and reinvigorated in October 2014, may be young in terms of incorporation or organizational terms. However, its management and operational team combines a wealth of experience from various sectors such as finance, engineering, climate change initiatives and integrative whole-systems thinking. CRX is therefore expanding with a new and young dynamic team from diversified fields and professions. The current initiatives that are currently being developed at CRX will make this possible through our vision that conflicts can be avoided, wherever possible, for the betterment of humankind.
SEAS: What attracted CRX to take part in the Incubator and Accelerator Programme?
CRX: SEAS was able to successfully link companies to grants and rewards offered by the Singapore government for both local and foreign companies to achieve low-carbon growth without compromising their own economic growth. This is a hard thing to do - given that the common misperception that being "green" is more expensive, when in fact the converse is true. Getting it right the first time is the way to go and then further recognizing that even more improvements can be made, is key to sustainable growth - never be complacent or think that this is the best that can be achieved. Also, this growth must be measured by performance metrics that are real and long term. You have to make sure you keep learning, keep improving through verifiable and validated data.
Key personnel in SEAS, including the various SEAS Committees are able to engage in useful, interactive and inclusive discussions with their members. Good ideas, especially when dealing with complex issues of climate change, are never created by a single person. It is the exchange of information that allows good initiatives to be developed in the first place. This then leads to the solidification of actual and implementable actions that makes the real difference.
“SEAS was able to successfully link companies to grants and rewards offered by the Singapore government for both local and foreign companies to achieve low-carbon growth without compromising their own economic growth”
SEAS: What were some of the benefits you gained by being a part of the programme?
CRX: Our relationship with SEAS under the able leadership of Mr. Edwin Khew and Ms. Kavita Gandhi has allowed us to participate and expand our networks within the business, academic, governmental and NGO communities respectively through both our friendship and membership. We began to see that the entire team at SEAS have been diligently operationalizing and advancing the Incubation and Accelerator models successfully. They have been able to allow both MNCs and SMEs to achieve significant progress in understanding and implementing sustainable initiatives in Singapore and also overseas.
SEAS: What were some of the factors that attracted you to expand into Asia? What value do you think PHPower can bring?
PHPower: Asia and more specifically the ASEAN region are going through a very fast transition in many different ways, and the growing need for energy is just the underlying natural necessity. This time there’s a new technological opportunity that can be factored in, which wasn’t there even 5-10 years ago: distributed power generation is now possible.
It is now possible to make energy where it’s needed, adjusting to the actual required power rather than relying on a faraway large plant. The cost of this relatively small and clean power source is finally comparable and even cheaper than a traditional fossil fuel generation.
PHPower’s experience in distributed generation in its 90 year old history is the value we bring to the table: not just technology itself, but the best practices, which are maybe the only asset that can’t be brought in by sheer investment.
“We’ve been able to pitch the correct potential market quite quickly, and to be introduced to the right operators”
SEAS: What attracted PHPower to take part in the Incubator and Accelerator Programme?
PHPower: We learned about SEAS and its activities in a conference organized in Milan in 2014, in collaboration with the Italian Trade Commission ICE Singapore. It appeared immediately clear that it was a perfect way to be guided in the many steps needed to navigate a new market, commercially and non-commercially. Of the many possible choices in consultancy available in Singapore, SEAS had the specific plus of dealing with renewable energy and energy efficiency as a core business, which made things really easier.
SEAS: What were some valuable insights that you gained?
PHPower: After just a couple of “orientation” meetings with the Business development team at SEAS , in which we tried to match PHPower’s unique selling points to the requirements of Singapore market, I was already quite clear on the advantages and downsides of the city-country situation. Our approach to the Energy Efficiency concept appears to be still quite innovative, taking the PV sector and in general the power generation as just one of all the facets of the topic. In this way we’ve been able to pitch the correct potential market quite quickly, and to be introduced to the right operators.