More buildings in public, private sectors using renewable energy

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