HDB to test solar technology in 6 precincts [News]

By Joanne Chan, Channel NewsAsia, 7 Nov 2011.

The Housing and Development Board (HDB) will be testing a more energy- and cost-efficient solar technology in six precincts islandwide next year.

Using Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) thin-film technology, the project is expected to cost S$4 million.

The solar panels will be installed in 20 to 25 HDB blocks, and collectively generate 1 MWp (megawatt peak) of electricity, enough to provide for 200 four-room flats.

Without direct sunlight, many traditional solar panels are unable to generate electricity efficiently. CIGS technology, which is more sensitive to light, may be the solution to erratic sun patterns. Read more

Clean Energy Expo Asia 2011 Trade Fair [Photos]

The annual Clean Energy Expo Asia (CEEA) 2011 Trade Fair is held at Suntec Singapore from 1 to 3 Nov. This year’s CEEA Trade Fair hosts about 170 exhibiting companies from 26 countries, with 6 country pavilions from Canada, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and Switzerland. Exhibitors showcase clean energy solutions including solar energy, energy efficiency, biomass, biogas, biofuel, and electric vehicles.

Here are some photos of exhibits at the Trade Fair: Read more

Technical factors to consider when implementing solar photovoltaic systems

Solar energy systems are often hailed as one of the more viable renewable energy sources for sunny Singapore. Given that solar module prices are rapidly falling, Singapore will surely reach grid parity in the near future. Grid parity refers to the point where the cost of solar power is equivalent to the cost of electricity generated from conventional fossil fuel power plants. Grid parity could result in an explosion in solar system implementation as consumers and businesses begin to see it as a cost-effective alternative to traditional sources of electricity.

At the Clean Energy Expo Asia 2011 Conference, one of the sessions covered Solar Power Technology with a focus on certain technical considerations that must be factored in when implementing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The session was moderated by Mr Christophe Inglin, Managing Director, Phoenix Solar Pte Ltd, and included speakers, Mr Horst Kruse, Director Sales Photovoltaics Asia, SCHOTT Solar AG, and Dr Jiang Fan, Manger of Technology Centre of Energy Conservation, Singapore Polytechnic. In particular, Mr Kruse focused on the tropicalization of PV modules and Dr Jiang focused on the effect of partial shading. Read more

Solar firm sets up headquarters here [News]

By Lynn Kan, The Business Times, 2 Nov 2011.

Trina Solar, the New York-listed Chinese maker of silicon solar panels, is making Singapore its Asia-Pacific regional headquarters.

The Singapore office will take care of managing sales, research and development, and logistics in Trina Solar’s expanding Asia-Pacific business.

Trina Solar had entered Japan, Australia and Korea and hopes the Singapore office will help its expansion into ‘emerging photovoltaic (PV) markets like Thailand and India’.

There may also be tie-ups between Trina Solar and local research institutes, said the company’s executives. Read more

NTU to research new solar cell [News]

By Lynda Hong, Channel NewsAsia, 13 Aug 2011.

Glass panels or windows in buildings could be integrated with solar panels in the near future. Currently, solar cell panels made of silicon are typically placed on top of the buildings.

The new solar cells are dye-sensitized solar cells, or Graetzel cells, named after its inventor Prof Michael Gratzel, who will be heading the new Centre for Nanostructured Photosystems at Nanyang Technological University.

Dr Subodh Mhaisalkar, Director of the Centre for Nanostructured Photosystems at NTU, said: “Silicon solar cells are also rigid. You cannot really integrate them very easily in windows and so on.

“These solar cells can be made readily on plastics. They can be used as bi-facial cells, so they can be used for transparent windows. They have different colours, so they can be used for building facades, or windows as well.” Read more

Solar outlook for the region looks bright for SANYO

Green Business Times recently met up with Dr Hiroyuki Kuriyama, Division President for Energy Systems & Solutions, SANYO Asia Pte Ltd, to understand more about SANYO’s solar products and market outlook.

From the discussion, we believe that the solar outlook for the region looks bright for SANYO, given its superior solar technology, its solar installations successfully tested in the field, and the growing opportunities for solar in Singapore and the region.

Superior Technology

SANYO has more than 30 years of experience in solar technology, and its HIT (Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin layer) solar cells has the world’s highest energy conversion efficiency. The HIT solar cell is an original technology developed by SANYO, and is composed of a mono thin crystalline silicon wafer surrounded by ultra-thin amorphous silicon layers.

Dr Kuriyama explains that the HIT solar cell can achieve the highest cell efficiency of 21.6% and highest module efficiency of 19%. The higher conversion efficiency of HIT solar modules means that more energy can be generated per installation area. This is beneficial in Singapore with our limited land and roof space.

The HIT solar cell can also maintain higher efficiency at high temperatures as compared to a normal crystalline silicon solar cell. This means that the HIT solar cells are suitable for Singapore’s hot climate and would experience less drop in efficiency. In addition, the HIT solar modules are lighter, and more environmentally-friendly as they are lead-free. Read more

Platinum Green Mark Award for Ocean Financial Centre [News]

Singapore’s green drive is reaching new heights. It now boasts of having the highest solar panels in Southeast Asia at the Ocean Financial Centre.

The 43-storey building is the first office development in Singapore to be awarded the Platinum Green Mark Award.

Nestled in the heart of Singapore’s financial district, the Ocean Financial Centre stands out with its sloping roof.

But it is what is on its roof that is getting the green thumb of approval.

At 245 metres above ground, the panels make up the highest solar installation in Southeast Asia.

The height makes the generation of clean energy more effective. Read more

SANYO Completes South East Asia’s Highest Solar Installation at Ocean Financial Centre [Press Release]

Singapore, 21st February, 2011 – SANYO Asia Pte Ltd. (SANYO) is pleased to announce its latest solar panel installation in Singapore that will be situated as high as 245m above ground. A global-leading innovator and manufacturer in environmental technology, SANYO will be carrying out Singapore’s unprecedented and South East Asia’s highest solar panel installation on the roof of 43-storey Ocean Financial Centre, adding yet another laurel to SANYO’s platter of outstanding innovations in the solar panel field.

Developed by Keppel Land Limited, Ocean Financial Centre has been awarded the Green Mark Platinum Award by the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore (BCA) and is a prime Grade A office development strategically located at the intersection of the Raffles Place and Marina Bay precincts of Singapore’s CBD. Read more

HDB: Two Steps Ahead Towards Sustainable Public Housing In Singapore

As the public housing authority that houses over 80% of Singapore’s population, HDB has a key role to play in supporting Singapore’s commitment to sustainable development. Today, HDB made further progress with two key initiatives:

a) Procurement of 1MWp solar photovoltaic (PV) panels worth about $2.3 million from the Renewable Energy Corporation (REC). This is by far the single largest solar panel procurement in Singapore to date. The solar panels will be implemented at six HDB precincts covering about 3,000 residential units; and

b) Collaboration with Camp Dresser & McKee (CDM) to develop a modeling tool to quantify and formulate a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) on sustainability environmental targets in developing Punggol as an Eco-Town for the tropics. This will enable a more effective design for sustainability, and support HDB’s planning efforts to enhance resource efficiency and livability within Punggol Eco-Town. Read more

SIEW 2009: Clean Energy Expo Asia 2009

The Clean Energy Expo Asia (CEEA) trade fair and conference was held last week, and brought together leading players in the various clean enery sectors, to discuss the challenges and opportunities in developing clean energy technologies and to explore the role of energy efficiency in a viable clean energy future. Around 71 exhibitors, 80 speakers, and 2,000 participants from over 20 countries were at the trade fair and conference. CEEA is jointly organized by the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) and Koelnmesse and is part of the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW).

Opening Addresses

In his address, Edwin Khew, Chairman of SEAS, shared a new initiative launched by the Asian Development Bank called the Energy For All or E4ALL. This is a partnership between the Bank and the private sector and NGOs, to promote capacity building, clean energy and energy efficiency technology, support, carbon management and project financing through sustainable energy associations in each of the Asia Pacific countries within the E4ALL program.

In his address, David Tan, Deputy Chief Executive of the Energy Market Authority (EMA), announced that EMA will launch a call for an Expression of Interest (EOI) on 20 November, to invite companies to submit proposals to design, build and operate an Intelligent Micro-grid with Clean and Renewable Energy Technologies on Pulau Ubin.

There is currently no power grid to supply electricity to the 100 residents in Pulau Ubin and they use their own diesel generators for electricity. EMA intends to develop 5 interconnected micro-grids serving the north, south, east, west and jetty regions of the island in the future. The micro-grids will rely on renewable energy such as solar PV, concentrated solar power, micro-wind turbines, and biofuels.

The implementation project will start with a small-scale, intelligent micro-grid at the jetty area to integrate the different clean energy technologies and ensure the reliability and quality of the electricity supply. The current annual energy consumption at the jetty area is about 460 MWh, and the current loads include the offices of the National Parks Board, the Police Coast Guard Office, the Ubin Lodge, the Singtel mobile base station, and a small number of residential premises and businesses at the jetty area.

Trade Fair

Here are some photos of clean energy technologies taken at the trade fair:

Smart Environments – Monitor, optimise and visualise using intelligent sensors linked to an open platform

Using Daylight

Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine

Different Solar Panels

Cylindrical Solar Panels

Solar and Wind Powered Streetlights

LED Streetlight

Electric Bicycle

Next Page »