S’pore solar industry still fledgling [News]

By Lynda Hong, Channel NewsAsia, 2 Nov 2011.

China’s third-largest maker of solar panels may have made Singapore its Asian Pacific headquarters, but observers said Singapore solar companies are still in their early stages to even consider offering their output to the public.

Still, this sunrise industry offers an exciting horizon ahead.

Across Asia, the solar industry got a boost with feed-in tariffs that reduced the cost of renewable energy.

These are cost-based compensation to renewable energy producers to help finance renewable energy investments.

But Singapore made the exception. Read more

REC Singapore poised to face challenges ahead [News]

By Ronnie Lim, The Business Times, 31 Oct 2011.

RENEWABLE Energy Corporation’s S$2.5 billion integrated Singapore plant – its biggest and most efficient worldwide – remains one of the few bright spots for the Norwegian solar company which is facing a demand slump in Europe on one hand, and stiff competition from Chinese and Taiwanese rivals on the other.

‘Demand has not picked up to the extent we had expected,’ REC’s president and CEO, Ole Enger, reportedly said at the group’s third quarter results presentation last week. ‘Lack of financing availability is the biggest problem we have in the solar industry.’

In Europe, countries like Germany, France and Italy have cut subsidies to cap booming solar installations, while rival Chinese solar makers have expanded output capacity considerably with this causing wafer and cell prices to plummet to ‘dramatically low levels’, the group said. Read more

Solar company hopes for sunny outcome [News]

By Jessica Cheam, The Straits Times, 19 Sep 2011.

Business is heating up for a little-known company in Singapore’s fledgling solar sector.

Barely days after scoring a Housing Board (HDB) contract to install and operate an $11 million solar system for 45 residential blocks in Punggol under a leasing model, local solar product manufacturer Sunseap Enterprises has inked a similar leasing deal with sushi group Sakae Holdings.

It is the first contract for Sunseap under its solar-leasing programme for commercial buildings, which it launched last week, its director Frank Phuan told The Straits Times.

Under a 20-year lease agreement, Sunseap will install 1,400 solar panels for a 270 kilowatt-peak solar system – which will generate more than 300,000 kilowatt hours of power annually – on the roof of Sakae’s Tai Seng Building in Upper Paya Lebar. A watt peak is a measure of power output used in relation to photovoltaic solar-energy devices. Read more

HDB unveils first solar-leasing project [News]

By Jessica Cheam, The Straits Times, 16 Sep 2011.

The largest property developer here has unveiled an innovative solar project that will soon power 45 residential blocks in Punggol with the sun’s energy.

The Housing Board yesterday inked a ‘solar-leasing’ agreement with local solar manufacturer Sunseap Enterprises, which will design, install and maintain the $11 million system.

The 2MWp (megawatt peak) solar photovoltaic set-up converts sunlight into electricity, which will then power common-area facilities such as corridor lights and lifts in the 45 blocks. A watt peak is a measure of power output used in relation to photovoltaic solar energy devices. Read more

Sunseap bags HDB’s tender award to produce 2-MW solar power for Punggol eco-town [Press Releases]

Solar manufacturer and leasing services provider, Sunseap Group, today announced that its subsidiary, Sunseap Enterprises, has won the Housing Development Board’s (HDB) solar leasing tender contract to install and supply 2 megawatts of photovoltaic (PV) rooftop solar system in Punggol eco-town. The lease option is believed to be the first-ever of its kind in Singapore and in the region. The program helps building owners stay competitive while doing the right thing for the environment.

A signing ceremony was held on 15 September 2011 at the HDB Hub in Toa Payoh between Sunseap Enterprises and the statutory board. The tender is part of HDB’s Solar Capability Building Programme, supported by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development. The generated electricity from the solar panel will be used by Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council to power lights in common areas, lifts and pumps, among other services. Read more

Feed-in tariffs needed for shift to renewable energy [News]

By Dennis Posadas, For The Straits Times, 6 Sep 2011.

FORMER Japanese prime minister Naoto Kan’s insistence on passing Japan’s feed-in tariff (FiT) on renewable energy before his resignation on Aug 26 underscores the importance of sustaining renewable energy’s momentum. Japan’s Parliament finally passed the measure on Aug 23.

China’s decision to implement a FiT of 1 yuan per kilowatt hour (kwh) for solar systems is another welcome boost to the renewables sector. A similar FiT in the Philippines is encountering some resistance because of its impact on electricity prices.

In Spain and Germany, FiTs have led to significant growth in installed renewables, particularly for wind systems.

Most Singaporeans will probably agree with the rationale for shifting energy from fossil fuels to renewable sources like wind and solar in the light of concerns about climate change, health issues and crude oil price swings. Read more

Punggol eco-town to test-bed energy solutions for public housing [News]

By Dylan Loh, Channel NewsAsia, 1 Aug 2011.

One block of public housing in Singapore’s Punggol eco-town will be a test-bed for environmentally-friendly energy solutions.

The project is a collaboration between Japanese electronics giant Panasonic and government agencies – the Housing and Development Board, the Economic Development Board and the Energy Market Authority.

It aims to get 10 households in the block of HDB flats to participate and may include more homes later.

An integrated energy system will help families reduce their carbon footprint and utilities bill.

Energy-producing solar panels will be fitted on the block of flats and these will power lifts and lighting during the day. Read more

Renewable energy for the future [News]

Three years after the financial crisis sent the price of oil tumbling by more than half, renewable energy sources are again attracting great interest, with the price of Brent crude oil now well above US$100 a barrel.

Jatropha – a hardy, non-edible shrub native to the tropics that bears fruit with large, oily seeds – shows a lot of promise as an important source of renewable energy in the future, says Simon Li, CEO of Feoso Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd, who chairs the Singapore Manufacturers’ Federation energy and chemicals industry group, which promotes the interests of Singapore-based companies involved in the oil, gas and chemicals manufacturing industries.

‘Jatropha can be a safer, cleaner and cheaper alternative to conventional fossil fuels,’ he says. ‘It’s resistant to drought and pests, and it does not compete for arable land. Also, with the first generation of biodiesel feedstock – say, sugarcane or maize – you have to harvest the entire plant. But with jatropha, you just harvest the seeds. So the trees continue to photosynthesise and produce oxygen while reducing carbon dioxide, which is very good for the environment. Read more

HDB in big solar energy drive [News]

Green energy in public housing is getting a boost, as the Housing Board wants to double the current capacity by launching its largest-ever single solar panel scheme.

In a tender that closed this month, the HDB called for a company to own and operate panels in the eco-town of Punggol, offering to buy the electricity produced for 20 years.

The panels, or sheets, will be put up on 85 blocks and can produce 2 MWp (megawatt peak) of energy when the sun is fully out. Such an amount of energy can meet the power needs of five four-room HDB flats for a month.

But the electricity produced will not be for home use. Rather, it will be used to power lights in common areas, lifts and pumps, among other things.

The tender is part of the HDB’s $31 million, five-year scheme to test-bed solar energy in 30 precincts. Read more

GE Energy poll indicates that more than 9 in 10 Singaporeans view renewable energy positively [Press Releases]

Singapore – May 18, 2011 — ‘Global warming’ followed by ‘air pollution’ and ‘water pollution’ are Singaporeans’ top environmental concerns judging by a mood sampling poll commissioned by GE Energy recently. The poll, which randomly surveyed 350+ adults representing a cross section of society, named these three in a list which also included flora and fauna extinction, noise pollution and excessive use of non-biodegradable products.

Interestingly, respondents showed strong understanding of the causes of air pollution, accurately naming the burning of fossil fuels for power generation as one of the top three causes of air pollution. The survey also revealed that more than 4 in 5 Singaporeans believed that renewable energy (RE) would be necessary if we cared about the environment, though only about 2 in 3 could accurately identify sources of RE unaided.

“I think this level of public awareness is a positive start to Singapore’s plans to develop a Clean Energy Hub. It indicates that Singaporeans may be receptive to greater detail on sustainable development such as energy efficiency projects and next generation electric vehicles”, says Edwin Khew, Chairman of the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore. Read more

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