Designing energy systems that can think, adapt and endure

Energy systems are in the midst of a quiet but profound transformation. Grids are becoming more dynamic and bidirectional, cities are layering digital infrastructure onto ageing assets, and industry, shipping and data centres face mounting pressure to decarbonise even as demand for mobility, trade and computation grows. In a tropical, resource-constrained setting, the question is straightforward but not easily answered: how do we stay cool, connected and competitive within tight carbon, land and water limits?

At the College of Design and Engineering (CDE), we approach this as a systems challenge. No single device, algorithm or material will solve it. Meaningful progress comes from joining up advances across domains and scales: from nanoscale heat transfer and catalytic surfaces, to building- and campus-level cooling and power, and on to regional grids and energy markets.

The work featured in this issue reflects that perspective. In power systems, colleagues are developing data-driven forecasting, optimisation and control tools for decentralised, renewable-rich grids that must remain reliable, flexible and, increasingly, fair. In thermal management, we are revisiting cooling from first principles, with efforts in advanced dehumidification, high-performance heat exchangers and liquid-cooled, low-water concepts for high-density AI data centres. On storage and fuels, research spans safer and more sustainable batteries, compact and inherently safer fuel storage, and low-carbon fuels such as ammonia and hydrogen, from fundamental chemistry through to engines and industrial heat applications. Electrified mobility and ASEAN-wide system studies add another layer, examining how EVs, renewables and cross-border interconnections can be orchestrated to support an affordable, reliable net-zero pathway.

A unifying thread is the emerging role of the NUS Energy Solutions Hub (NESH) under NUS Sustainable Futures. NESH is intended to act as a systems integrator for CDE and the wider university, linking cooling and power at the data-centre and campus scale, storage and fuels at the industrial scale, and markets and policy at national and regional scales. The planned Phase 2 of the Sustainable Tropical Data Centre Testbed (STDCT 2.0) with JTC on Jurong Island is a concrete example: a living lab for liquid cooling, warm- and seawater-based heat rejection, low-carbon power architectures and grid-supportive, AI-intensive operations in one of the world’s most demanding climates.

In parallel, there is growing interest within CDE in building a coherent nuclear engineering research agenda aligned with our national context. Advanced nuclear technologies such as small modular reactors are clearly a long-term option, but they sit squarely within questions we already work on: high-power-density thermal-hydraulics and heat removal, materials and structural integrity under extreme conditions, integration of firm low-carbon supply into renewable-rich coastal grids, and safety and systems engineering for complex, high-consequence infrastructure. Developing foundational research and talent in nuclear engineering is therefore a natural extension of our broader energy systems work.

Underlying all of this is a simple point: the connections matter as much as the individual innovations. Algorithms only have impact when they are embedded in devices, markets and institutions. Materials only change outcomes when they can be manufactured and deployed at scale. Regional models only matter when they inform investment, regulation and cooperation. Any future exploration of nuclear options will be no different; it will need to be evaluated and developed as part of an integrated system that includes renewables, grids, cooling, storage, shipping, data centres and industry.

My hope is that this issue of the CDE Energy Newsletter serves both as a snapshot of our current efforts and as an invitation. Many of the challenges we face cut across departments, disciplines and sectors. If you see resonance with your own work, I encourage you to reach out, start a conversation and explore collaboration with our colleagues, with NESH, and with emerging efforts in strategic areas such as nuclear engineering.

Professor Lee Poh Seng
Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering
Co-Director of NUS Sustainable Futures in charge of the NUS Energy Solutions Hub (NESH)
Programme Director of the STDCT project.