Things look sunny for solar power in Singapore

Deepika Shetty Straits Times 8 Aug 10;

Sunny days help Changi Airport's Budget Terminal save money, to the tune of more than $60,000 annually. Up on the rooftop of the terminal's departure hall is a large array of solar panels covering 2,500sqm. They convert sunlight into electricity - about 346,750 kilowatt hours each year.

Apart from sunlight being free, solar energy is green too. It is, hence, clean energy.

Completed in March, the Budget Terminal project is not just an effort to make Changi Airport more environmentally friendly but also part of a national clean technology push by the Economic Development Board (EDB).

Clean technology, or 'cleantech', refers broadly to eco-friendly technologies and solutions such as clean energy, and environmental and water technology. The EDB's Clean Energy Programme was launched in August 2007. Under it, $350 million has been earmarked for clean energy initiatives. About 60 per cent of the money has been allocated.

EDB's director for cleantech, Mr Goh Chee Kiong, called 2007 'a turning point' in the push into clean energy.

'We managed to attract quite a few international companies such as Bosch, which has set up a solar energy research and development centre here; and 3M, which is making films for solar panels,' he said.

The outlook is sunny. By the end of next year, the first building at Singapore's CleanTech Park, next to Nanyang Technological University, is expected to be up, at a cost of $90 million.

The park will be a testbed for innovative green solutions for tropical, urban settings like Singapore. Apart from solar panels, it will include sky gardens, rainwater harvesting and sky trellises.

Mr Christophe Inglin is managing director of Singapore-based solar systems integrator Phoenix Solar.

The firm specialises in photovoltaic systems, using solar panels which tap the energy of the sun's rays, to provide electricity for industry and for homes. He has seen demand here grow in the past three years.

Said Mr Inglin: 'In the initial years, we did not even consider Singapore a market. But attitudes have changed. What has also helped is a drop in the hardware cost.'

At his semi-detached home in Siglap, he uses the sun's heat to generate energy to power all electrical appliances, including air-conditioners, fans, water heaters and refrigerators. The 90 panels on the roof, installed in 2008, cost $105,000 with a 30-year payback at current tariff rates.

'If I were to install them today, it would cost me about $65,000 as costs have fallen,' he said.

More developers, businesses and individuals are into this sustainable technology. For instance, City Developments has solar-powered eco-roofs in many of its award-winning residential and commercial projects, such as Oceanfront@Sentosa Cove, City Square Mall and Republic Plaza. Developers can also apply for a government grant of up to $1 million per project to defray the cost of their investments in solar energy features by at least a third.

Meanwhile, over 5,000 solar-powered lights are already illuminating public places such as streets, parks and hawker centres. Water heaters powered by the sun are installed in more than 7,000 landed homes.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has used solar power to promote sustainable urban practices. There are more than 100 solar-powered carpark signs at places such as Tras Street and Joo Chiat Road. At the Marina Bay Promenade, opened on July 18, the URA has installed three solar-powered breeze shelters, for the comfort of pedestrians.

Last month, the Housing Board announced its green initiative for six precincts.

In the fourth quarter of this year, 30 blocks in Jurong, Aljunied, Telok Blangah, Bishan, Ang Mo Kio and Jalan Besar will have solar panels mounted on them. Worth about $2.3 million, these are expected to save $40,000 per year per precinct.

Professor Joachim Luther, chief executive of the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, said: 'Singapore has started to apply solar technology and it is doing it in a very dedicated way.

'Generating electricity through the use of solar energy is a perfectly proven technology and Singapore has made a good start. The next step will be seeing more individuals and corporates embracing this technology.'

Apart from lighting, Professor Luther foresees the use of solar technology in hotels, in resorts and in homes, powering everything from air-conditioners and refrigerators to water heaters.

This is something the Singapore Environment Council strongly supports.

Said its executive director, Mr Howard Shaw: 'Over the past decade, solar energy did not quite catch on here due to the cost of the technology. Things have changed now; the technology is more affordable and the Government's effort to promote its use is something we strongly applaud.'