The Energy Market Authority (EMA) and the Advanced Energy and Decarbonization Office (AEDO) have launched a S$75 million ($59 million) Power Decarbonization Funding initiative to develop and advance low-carbon technologies in Singapore.
The duo said in a statement that the funding initiative is part of the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 S$800 million Decarbonization Grand Challenge announced in March 2026.
It will support both laboratory-based research to advance the scientific development of emerging low-carbon technologies, as well as the test-bedding and piloting of more mature solutions.
The Power Decarbonization Funding Initiative will focus on hydrogen and its derivatives, solar energy and biomass, targeting technological challenges in fuel switching, infrastructure safety, cost reduction, solar deployment and biomass waste utilisation.
Under hydrogen and derivatives, the initiative aims to enable power plants to switch rapidly from hydrogen-based fuels to backup fuels within 10 minutes while maintaining combustion stability, improve the safety of hydrogen infrastructure by reducing the required health and safety buffer for facilities with a capacity of 1 million tons per annum (MTPA) of hydrogen equivalent, and lower hydrogen extraction costs to below $1 per kg by improving energy efficiency, extending catalyst lifespans and generating revenue from valuable co-products.
For solar energy, the initiative seeks to expand deployment on unconventional surfaces by reducing structural costs by at least 15 percent without compromising strength or waterproofing. It will also support the development of next-generation photovoltaic modules with efficiency exceeding 30 percent, or lightweight and flexible designs, that can withstand Singapore’s hot and humid conditions with annual degradation of less than 1 percent over at least 25 years.
Under biomass, the initiative will support the development of versatile, low-cost technologies to convert ash from different biomass feedstocks into useful products that meet Singapore’s environmental and end-use requirements, at a processing cost of less than S$50 per ton.
Under the Decarbonization Research for Industry, Ventures, and Enterprise (DRIVE) program, S$25 million will be made available for industry-designed projects to accelerate the development of low-carbon technologies for power decarbonization. Applications for DRIVE opened on October 23, 2026.
Companies, including start-ups and technology providers, will take the lead to define the decarbonization challenges which they want to solve, and work with Singapore’s public universities and research institutions to develop and co-fund promising solutions that address these needs.
The government will provide co-funding of up to 75 percent of total qualifying project costs to public research performers.
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