Singapore presented a study to help identify the alternative energy potential of countries around the world, local media reported on Thursday.

The findings of the study, believed to be the first of its kind, were presented to delegates at a side event at the Copenhagen climate meet, local English newspaper The Straits Times reported.

Energy Studies Institute research fellow Felicia Shaw told the delegates that huge variations of alternative energy potential were found across countries by the study, which focused on solar, wind and hydroelectric power, and geothermal resources.

However, physical constraints, such as land size also limit a country's potential with Singapore being a case in point. Despite being located in the tropical sunbelt area, it is unable to harness solar energy on a large scale because of its size.

The study was conducted in the past year in partnership with the Tropical Marine Science Institute at the National University of Singapore.

A geographic information system (GIS) software was also used to store and analyze various sources of data, for which the maps produced by the GIS software allowed researchers to spot regions with high or low potential of renewable energy, such as geothermal power.

This knowledge will help investors to put their money in the right places, the report said. It will also help identify countries unlikely to do much to curb greenhouse gas emissions by converting to renewable sources of energy.

Singapore invested in this study because it had spent most of its short history pondering resource scarcity.

(Xinhua News Agency December 10, 2009)