The Singapore Government has announced the Singapore Green Plan 2030. One important pillar of the plan is Energy Reset, which aims for cleaner and better use of energy with increased energy efficiency. The plan is to increase solar energy deployment by five times to 2 GW peak by 2030. Similarly, the transportation sector will be made efficient, cleaner and more environment friendly. The government has recognised that Singapore is an ideal city for adopting electric vehicles (EVs). By 2040, all internal combustion engine (ICE) based vehicles will be phased out. Such large scale EV adoption will require setting up of the EV charging infrastructure. The goal is to have at least 60,000 charging stations made available across the island by 2030. Innovative smart charging solutions will be required to meet the demand within the constraints of the distribution network. There will be a need to further strengthen the distribution network with the integration of energy storage devices as well.

The Sustainable Electric Transportation (SET) specialisation examines electrification of transportation system with focus on EV and electricity generation from various forms of renewable energy resources. It provides a comprehensive overview of the methodologies used for promoting the advancement and usage of economic and environment friendly sustainable electrical energy systems. Students will learn how to integrate renewable energy re-sources and electric vehicles into the smart grid. Issues related to environmental impact of electrical energy generation will be introduced and discussed, and strategies for energy efficiency improvement through power electronic converter fed variable-speed electric motor drives in full-electric or hybrid-electric vehicles will be covered. Similarly, electrification of the air- and sea-based transportation systems such as usage of more electric aircrafts (MEA) and full-electric propulsion for marine vessels would contribute to carbon reduction and therefore sustainable and cleaner environments. This specialisation will also cover integration of energy storage devices both for transportation sector as well as electric power generation to match supply and demand.

Programme Requirements

• Complete at least 20 Units of courses
• 3 core courses (4 Units each)
• At least 2 elective courses (4 Units each)

Pre-Requisites

• EE2022 Electrical Energy Systems
• EE2027 Electronic Circuits

Industry Relevance

Renewable energy systems and EVs have been gaining importance worldwide. With the Singapore Government focusing on these developments over the next decade, there will be a great demand for skilled manpower in this area. Many existing companies as well as new start-ups are expected in this area creating many job opportunities.

Examples of companies and organisations offering jobs and internships in these fields to NUS ECE students are Port of Singapore Authority (PSA), Land Transport Authority (LTA), Energy Market Authority (EMA), Singapore Power (SP), Keppel Electric, Keppel Offshore Marines, Sembcorp Marines, Keppel-Infrastructures, Rolls Royce Singapore, Schlumberger, Sembcorp, Sembcorp Marine, ST Engineering, SunSeap, ENGIE Singapore, Schneider Electric, ABB, Siemens, ST Marine, Jurong Port, Changi Airport Authority Singapore (CAAS), Housing Development Board (HDB) etc.

Excellent career prospects await for those with a degree from NUS ECE with a specialisation in SET. These jobs not only come with a good salary but the nature of the area includes an important societal component of sustainability and cleaner and environmentally friendly sources of energy.