Powered by the sun: Singapore companies farm energy from the sky

Demand for solar power is booming in energy-hungry South-East Asia. Learn more about solar energy partnership and innovation opportunities in Singapore.

In Singapore, green is the new black.

Every Tiger Beer consumed in Singapore is brewed using solar energy. Microsoft and Facebook are powering data centre operations with renewable energy. With the nationwide Open Electricity Market launch, residents here can access solar energy on the national grid without the need for roof space. 

Indeed, going green is no longer just about corporate social responsibility, but of golden opportunity.

Cleantech appetites growing strong in South-East Asia

Energy consumption in South-East Asia has increased twofold over the past 20 years and will double again by 2035, according to the 2018 International Renewable Energy Agency report. To secure sustainable growth, the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are driving a transition to green energy, with a regional target to secure 23 per cent of primary energy renewably by 2025.

With ASEAN set to become the fourth-largest economy in the world by 2030, its solar photovoltaic (PV) market is serious business. By 2030, the clean energy industry will create an additional 2.2 million jobs in SEA. Its solar PV capacity is projected to surge, tripling between 2016 and 2040 to 160GW. 

Growing energy demands come at a time when solar power is increasingly affordable and attractive. The cost of solar energy is already on par with conventional energy, tumbling 85 per cent since 2008.

With demand and supply trends converging, SEA’s solar energy prospects are indeed bright.

Clear skies ahead for win-win partnerships 

Solar energy players are thriving in SEA – milestone energy partnerships were recently announced in Singapore, the region’s emerging cleantech hub.

Earlier this year, global solar solutions manufacturer REC Group (REC) launched Singapore’s largest rooftop solar installation at its Asia Pacific regional headquarters in Tuas. Built in collaboration with electricity retailer PacificLight Energy, REC’s solar farm boasts a solar PV system capacity of 2.37 megawatts and will generate 2,600 megawatt hours annually for REC’s plant and the national grid. Annual carbon emissions will be reduced by over 1,200 metric tonnes – the equivalent of planting 64,000 trees.

3M’s choice of partner for developing energy solutions is unsurprising – Sembcorp has a glowing solar energy track record. Growing from four to over 115 megawatts in two years, Sembcorp recently announced a 20-year solar power partnership with Facebook, becoming the social media giant’s first renewable energy partner in Asia.

“At Sembcorp, our goal is to provide energy that makes a difference,” says Mr Koh Chiap Khiong, Head of Singapore, SEA and China (Energy), Sembcorp Industries, sharing the company’s aim to support economies as they transition towards low-carbon energy systems.

This year, the company announced targets to double its international renewables portfolio by 2022, reflecting sustained confidence in regional growth.

“Not too big, not too small”: Singapore’s cleantech sandbox

With its tropical location and a hunger to manage natural resource scarcity, Singapore is positioning itself to ride the SEA solar PV wave. To date, Singapore has pumped S$2 billion into cleantech research and development (R&D), quadrupling solar PV system capacities here in the past three years. Now, the country has set its sights on incubating clean energy expertise for the region.

“We are in what we call a ‘Goldilocks’ position – a city of 5 million – where you can try many of these new and innovative solutions,” says Mr Chan Chun Sing, Singapore Minister for Trade and Industry in a Bloomberg Television interview.

Global rankings support this optimism. Singapore leads SEA in the Global Cleantech Innovation Index 2017, with its strengths in commercialisation efficiency making it an attractive investment destination.

Singapore’s ecosystem is supported by regulatory sandboxes, dedicated research institutes and nationwide projects such as the SolarNova programme, which will install solar panels on over 5,500 buildings by 2020, driving solar PV market growth.

Affirming Singapore’s R&D ecosystem, Ms Yuko Nakahira, Managing Director at 3M Singapore, says: “Singapore’s ‘living lab’ concept gives us many valuable opportunities to testbed sustainable solutions for urbanised cities quickly and effectively.”

“The government provides the necessary regulatory framework and conducive business environment,” adds Ms Geraldine Tan, General Manager at PacificLight Energy.

Award-winning solar energy solutions have emerged. “Made-in-Singapore” REC TwinPeak 2 Series is the world’s highest-performing multicrystalline silicon solar panel. Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) at National University of Singapore is a proud R&D partner, assisting REC in performance testing.

“Singapore is one of the best places in the world to drive the development and commercialisation of renewable energy solutions,” confirms Mr Cemil Seber, Head of Global Marketing, REC.

The future is solar bright

As Singapore’s 2018 Year of Climate Action draws to a close, the city-state’s vision for a greener future remains bright. In line with its 2015 Paris Agreement pledge, efforts are underway to reduce greenhouse gas emissions intensity and halt increases by 2030.

With peak solar generation set to grow from 140 megawatts in 2017 to 2 gigawatts by 2025, solar energy holds the promise of a greener future for this sunny island and for the world.