Singapore, Singapore
Minhee Son is a Research Fellow at the Energy Studies Institute, National University of Singapore, specialising in energy and climate policy for the energy transition. Her current research focuses on electricity market reform, drawing lessons from international experience on market design, investment incentives, system flexibility, and resource adequacy under growing shares of variable renewable energy. Her broader research portfolio covers country-level analyses of national decarbonisation strategies across advanced and emerging economies, including Southeast Asia, spanning renewable energy, decarbonised grids, CCUS, and hydrogen. She also conducts carbon accounting research using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies, covering renewable energy systems, the ICT sector, and circular economy initiatives, and has worked directly with government agencies on emissions measurement and policy development. She holds a PhD in Energy, Resource and Environmental Policy from Korea University's Graduate School of Energy and Environment (Green School), where her doctoral research examined the environmental impacts and cost-benefit analysis of end-of-life management for solar PV waste.
Electricity Market Reform: Maintaining Cost Competitiveness During the Energy Transition (Apr2026 - Present) -Building a cross-country evidence base on electricity market design, liberalization pathways, and financing structures under high shares of variable renewable energy - Drawing market design lessons for Singapore's electricity market from international experience, focusing on investment incentives, system flexibility, and resource adequacy Case Studies of National Decarbonization Strategies and Climate-Neutral Pathways (Aug 2022 – Mar 2026) - Conducted country-level analyses of decarbonization strategies across advanced and emerging economies, including Southeast Asia, to inform policy recommendations - Built and analyzed large-scale climate policy datasets integrating IEA databases with LT-LEDS, NDC, and national emissions data, uncovering cross-country trends for comparative decarbonization planning - Drafted policy briefs benchmarking international good practices in low-carbon technologies and policies to identify policy options for Singapore's net-zero transition - Moderated the programme's international workshops and conducted field trips to case study countries, engaging policymakers, researchers, and local stakeholders Localized Scope 3 Emission Factors for Data Centres and Cloud Services (Nov 2023 – Nov 2025) - Developed a bottom-up methodology in collaboration with Singapore's digital regulator (IMDA) to estimate Scope 3 emissions for data centres and cloud services using primary data from local stakeholders - Produced Singapore's first localized ICT emission factors for inclusion in the Singapore Emission Factors Registry (SEFR) Life Cycle Assessment and Circular Economy Considerations for Renewables (Oct 2022 - Sep 2024) - Conducted life cycle assessment and carbon payback analysis of solar PV, wind-battery systems, and green hydrogen across 7 countries under varying grid and manufacturing contexts
Conducted research projects to estimate environmental and economic impacts with policy implications: - Performed technical and economic analysis of CCUS systems using plasma technology. - Analysed the Korean public's emotional-cognitive evaluation and acceptance of CCUS technology. - Conducted environmental and cost-benefit analysis for the treatment of sewage sludge. - Conducted environmental impact analysis using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to compare modular and conventional buildings. - Conducted Material Flow Analysis (MFA) of plastics in Korea, covering the period from 1982 to 2020.
- Conducted economic analysis of renewable energy systems, including photovoltaics, wind power, fuel cells, and ESS. - Determination of the optimal capacity of renewable energy sources based on the island's power load data.
- Planned products and designed solutions for inverter systems in solar PV and wind power projects, covering both on-grid and off-grid applications - Supported international sales by tailoring inverter configurations to grid-connected and isolated system requirements, gaining hands-on understanding of renewable energy hardware and equipment supply chains
Supported marketing and outreach activities for 10+ early-stage IT start-ups in South Korea