Monday, July 9, 2018

HDB to study use of off-shore solar panels

Source Website: https://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/hdb-study-use-shore-solar-panels
By Audrey Tan, Environment Correspondent, The New Paper, 09 July 2018 at 06:00 am


Solar panels at a test bed in Tengeh Reservoir in Tuas.
PHOTO: Solar panels at a test bed in Tengeh Reservoir in Tuas.
PHOTO: HDB
Picture posted by Audrey Tan, Environment Correspondent, The New Paper on 09 July 2018 at 06:00 am
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https://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/hdb-study-use-shore-solar-panels


In land-scarce Singapore, the quest to harvest more energy from the sun will soon go one step further: to the sea.

Yesterday, the Housing Board announced it will be signing a research collaboration with a landscaping firm.

The tie-up aims to study the development of a floating solar system for coastal marine conditions. It will look at how HDB's floating system can withstand harsher environmental conditions in the sea, such as stronger winds and wave action.

HDB chief executive Cheong Koon Hean said that over the past decade, the agency has been spearheading solar initiatives and accelerating solar adoption in Singapore.

For example, solar panels have been installed or are being fitted in more than 2,400 HDB blocks across Singapore.


Apple will use the surplus energy produced by Sunseap's solar panels on 800 buildings in Singapore to power all its operations in the city.
PHOTO: Apple will use the surplus energy produced by Sunseap's solar panels on 800 buildings in Singapore to power all its operations in the city.
Image: Sunseap
Picture posted by Jean Chua on Monday, 16 November 2015
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http://www.eco-business.com/news/apple-to-go-100-solar-in-singapore/


By 2020, about 5,500 HDB blocks will be fitted with or identified for solar installation.

Currently, more than 95 per cent of Singapore's grid energy comes from the burning of natural gas.

Given Singapore's small land area, there is a limit to how much solar energy can be harvested from solar panels on land.


Solar panels on the rooftop of the Sentosa Fire Station supplies enough electricity to meet at least six per cent of the station's total energy consumption.
PHOTO: Solar panels on the rooftop of the Sentosa Fire Station supplies enough electricity to meet at least six per cent of the station's total energy consumption. Currently, more than 95 per cent of Singapore's grid energy comes from the burning of natural gas.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Picture posted by Carolyn Khew, The Straits Times on 17 October 2016 at 5:00 am SGT
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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/spike-in-number-of-solar-panel-installations


HDB's floating modular system was first tested in 2011 in a man-made waterway in Punggol to hold wetland plants. It was subsequently deployed to hold solar panels at a test bed in Tengeh Reservoir in Tuas in May this year.

The latest research agreement - which HDB will sign with ISO Landscape this week at the World Cities Summit, a sustainability conference - will look at how the HDB-designed floating modular system can hold solar panels in open-sea conditions.


One out of ten of the floating solar systems at Tengeh Reservoir, now home to the world’s largest floating solar test-bed, beside the Tuas Checkpoint.
PHOTO: One out of ten of the floating solar systems at Tengeh Reservoir, now home to the world’s largest floating solar test-bed, beside the Tuas Checkpoint.
Photo: Wee Teck Hian
Picture posted by Wong Pei Ting, Today on 25 October 2016
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https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/singapore-hold-worlds-largest-floating-solar-testbed


In theory, Singapore has a few areas where offshore floating solar systems would be possible, said Dr Thomas Reindl, deputy chief executive of the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore.

But the locations should balance the need to be close enough to the mainland - to avoid use of lengthy submarine cable connections - with the need for marine space for other activities, he told The Straits Times.


The one-hectare floating solar PV test bed on Tengeh Reservoir.
PHOTO: The one-hectare floating solar PV test bed on Tengeh Reservoir. A range of solar cells and flotation devices are being tested for environmental impact and efficiency.
The test bed is meant to uncover which is the most cost-effective and efficient PV cell technology for use in Singapore, and the environmental impact of floating PVs on the island’s water bodies. It will also test to see if the performance of the solar panels will improve due to the cooling effect of the water.
Image: Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore
Picture posted by Hannah Koh, eco-business.com on Thursday, 27 October 2016
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In theory, Singapore has a few areas where offshore floating solar systems would be possible, said Dr Thomas Reindl, deputy chief executive of the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore.
PHOTO: In theory, Singapore has a few areas where offshore floating solar systems would be possible, said Dr Thomas Reindl, deputy chief executive of the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore. But the locations should balance the need to be close enough to the mainland - to avoid use of lengthy submarine cable connections - with the need for marine space for other activities, he told The Straits Times.
Picture posted by 123RF Limited
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By Audrey Tan, Environment Correspondent, The New Paper, 09 July 2018 at 06:00 am
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Reference
[1] Audrey Tan, Environment Correspondent, The New Paper, HDB to study use of off-shore solar panels, posted on  09 July 2018 at 06:00 am, https://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/hdb-study-use-shore-solar-panels

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