Solar power capacity soars in Singapore

Solar power capacity soars in Singapore

The capacity for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to generate electricity
here has nearly quadrupled in the past three years as solar panels have
mushroomed all over Singapore.

The total installed capacity of such systems has swelled from 33.1MW peak
(MWp) in 2014 to 129.8MWp in the first quarter of this year, according to
data released by the Energy Market Authority (EMA) yesterday.

In 2010, the Economic Strategies Committee set a target of having renewable
energy sources like solar energy contribute to 5 per cent of Singapore's
peak electricity demand or 350MWp by 2020.

Dr Thomas Reindl, deputy chief executive of the Solar Energy Research
Institute of Singapore, said Singapore is on track to exceed the 350MWp
target.

Under the SolarNova scheme, which aggregates solar demand, agencies such as
the Housing Board provide rooftop space for firms to install panels. In
return, town councils enjoy discounted electricity rates.

The private sector, town councils and grassroots units were major
contributors to the expanded solar capacity from 2014. The newly upgraded
Bukit Panjang Community Club, for example, has about 150 solar panels
installed on its roof.

Non-residential installations of solar panels in the private sector
accounted for 45.9 per cent of the total installed capacity, while town
councils and grassroots units such as the HDB contributed 44.7 per cent
towards the figure.

A spokesman for the EMA said it has made it easier for consumers to be paid
for supplying the excess energy they generate to the grid.

Residential users account for less than 5 per cent of total installed
capacity. As of the end of the first quarter of this year, there were 589
installations by the residential sector, which comprises primarily of
private homes.

Cost remains one of the obstacles, experts have said, since larger rooftop
systems tend to be more economical compared with smaller systems. But
residential use may increase as the cost of solar panels is expected to drop
further.

Research is being done to see how Singapore can overcome its space
constraints to have more solar panels installed. This includes the setting
up of the world's largest floating solar PV cell test bed at Tengeh
Reservoir last year, which will test and evaluate the performance of 10
different systems.

Singapore's total electricity consumption rose by 2.3 per cent from 47.5TWh
(terawatt hours) in 2015 to 48.6TWh last year, according to the EMA report.

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Link to Original Article:
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/solar-power-capacity-soars
-in-singapore

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John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com