Time for rooftop revolution?

Source : Straits Times - 24 Oct 2008

IF SEVEN in 10 buildings here were to wear solar panels like hats, enough power would be produced to meet 10 per cent of the demand, engineers reckon.

This would dovetail with the nationwide push to use energy more efficiently, in a greener fashion.

Using solar energy in a bigger way here, coupled with the use of energy-efficient appliances at home, could even halve power bills, said Mr Christophe Inglin at the Singapore Solar Challenge Seminar yesterday.

The 30 people at the seminar, organised by the Institute of South-east Asian Studies, comprised engineers, academics and policy advisers who shared an interest in solar energy issues.

Mr Inglin, chairman of the clean energy committee of the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore, said aiming to put solar panels on all rooftops here was unrealistic, but 70 per cent was achievable.

Doing this, he said, would generate 11,550 gigawatt hours of power - enough for the needs of 2.8 million
people.

Although harnessing the power of the sun to create energy is kinder on the environment than the traditional burning of fossil fuels, it comes with a downside - big upfront set-up costs.

The prohibitive cost of solar panels - from $100,000 to a few million dollars, depending on the scale and technology used - has put some developers off investing in them.

City Developments Limited (CDL), however, has bitten the bullet and incorporated solar-powered eco-roofs into many of its award-winning residential and commercial projects, such as Oceanfront @ Sentosa Cove, City Square Mall and Republic Plaza. CDL said that, as a matter of principle, it sets aside up to 5 per cent of a development’s construction cost for green design and features.

Tampines Grande, its upcoming commercial development, will have nearly 2,000 sq m of photovoltaic and hot-water solar panels on its roof - a feature expected to yield energy savings of 2.7 million kilowatt-hours a year and savings on maintenance and operational costs.

Private developers may 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.

The $20 million in grants which the Government is making available could spur up to 100 solar projects across the island in two years.

Singapore Technologies (ST) Kinetics has tied up with Singapore Polytechnic to develop low-cost solar cells priced within the budget of individual home owners.

A decade down the road, these cells will power cars, laptops, cellphones and even blenders.

Dr Yin Xi Kiang, director of the centre developing these solar cells, said they may cost 60 per cent less than current models, though still more than ordinary batteries.

ST Kinetics’ chief technology officer Richard Kwok pointed out that because solar energy is free, it will still work out to be cheaper for the consumer in the long run.