HDB calls for largest public solar tender to date

The tender consolidates demand across multiple Government agencies and will see photovoltaic systems installed at eight Ministry of Home Affairs and PUB sites, as well as about 900 HDB blocks.
Channel NewsAsia 5 Jun 15;

SINGAPORE: The Housing and Development Board (HDB) on Friday (Jun 5) announced it is calling the largest solar tender to date, which consolidates demand across multiple Government agencies.

This is the first solar leasing tender that cuts across the different agencies, and the capacity requested - 40 MWp - is the largest in both public and private sector, the HDB and Economic Development Board (EDB) said in its joint press release.

The photovoltaic (PV) systems will be installed at eight Ministry of Home Affairs and PUB sites, as well as an estimated 900 HDB blocks.

Specifically, the solar PV systems will be installed at Tuas Checkpoint, Woodlands Checkpoint, Home Team Academy, Airport Police Division and MHA HQ at Phoenix Park, they said.

For PUB, the installation will be at Changi Water Reclamation Plant, Bedok Waterworks and WaterHub, the press release added.

The solar leasing tender will close on Aug 14, and it is expected to be awarded in the fourth quarter of this year, with installation expected to be completed in end-2017.

The tender is called under the government-led solar lead demand programme, called
SolarNova, which is spearheaded by the EDB. This is the first tender to be launched under the programme, which aims to have solar power contribute 350 MWp to Singapore’s system by 2020. More tenders under SolarNova will be called over the next four to five years.

- CNA/kk

More buildings in public, private sectors using renewable energy
SIAU MING EN Today Online 6 Jun 15;

Since the Housing and Development Board (HDB) called for the first solar leasing tender less than four years ago, building owners in both the public and private sectors have increasingly tapped on this renewable energy source.

After 45 residential blocks in Punggol had solar photovoltaic (PV) systems installed on their roofs in 2011, Sakae Holdings became one of the first companies here to hop onto the solar leasing bandwagon, installing 1,400 solar panels at its Upper Paya Lebar headquarters.

Schools such as Raffles Institution have also installed 625 panels on two of the school’s blocks, while the Singapore American School in Woodlands has installed a 1MWp solar panel system that will meet 10 per cent of the school’s energy needs.

Other prominent solar-leasing projects include the one at the Sports Hub, where solar company Phoenix Solar Singapore leases 707 kilowatt-peak. Sheng Siong supermarket’s distribution centre in Mandai and the Ulu Pandan NEWater plant are also examples of buildings with PV systems on their large rooftops.

Last year, the Land Transport Authority called for a tender to place solar panels on the roofs of the Tuas and Gali Batu rail depots, which will begin operations next year.

At the start of the year, Jurong Port also announced that it would soon have the largest port-based solar panel facility in the world with its S$30 million installation that is expected to generate 10MWp of electricity at its peak capacity. SIAU MING EN