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.
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 by 2020. Dr Thomas Reindl, deputy chief executive of the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, said Singapore is on track to exceed the 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.
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.
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Source: The Straits Times, 1 August 2017