Singapore’s pursuit of “solar anywhere” provides a compelling blueprint for other densely populated, land-constrained urban environments. Challenges remain, including managing solar intermittency and integrating energy storage solutions, but the nation is actively addressing these through pilot projects in battery storage and advanced grid technologies. Since 2022, Singapore’s National Climate Change Secretariat has emphasized support for research for more efficient photovoltaic (PV) technologies and novel deployment methods.

A Multifaceted Approach To Solar Deployment

According to the Singapore Energy Market Authority, since 2014, the country has implemented several key solar projects, cumulatively contributing approximately 600 GWh (gigawatt-hours) to its grid. These initiatives demonstrate a pragmatic and adaptive strategy to overcome geographical limitations. The country aims to achieve at least 2 GWp (gigawatt-peak) of solar deployment by 2030, which could meet about 4% of its projected electricity demand.

SolarNova: Public Sector Rooftop Integration: CleanTechnica reported on SolarNova, Singapore’s national solar deployment program, last month. The program is a joint initiative by the Singapore Housing & Development Board (HDB) and the Economic Development Board (EDB). Its core objective is to integrate solar PV systems onto the rooftops of government agencies, public housing (HDB) blocks, and other government-owned structures such as schools. Since its inception in 2014, SolarNova has contributed over 111 GWh annually, with a target of approximately 420 GWh annually upon full operationalization. This program highlights the strategic utilization of existing vertical urban infrastructure.

SolarRoof: Industrial Building Optimization: Introduced in 2017 by JTC Corporation, a statutory board under Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, SolarRoof specifically optimizes the substantial rooftop spaces of private industrial buildings within JTC’s managed estates. JTC, responsible for developing and managing industrial infrastructure, employs flexible business models like solar leasing and rooftop licensing. These models remove upfront capital costs, making solar adoption viable for small to medium enterprises. As of 2024, SolarRoof has added approximately 800 MWp (megawatt-peak) of solar power to the grid, showcasing the significant potential of industrial real estate for renewable energy generation.

SolarLand: Temporary and Modular Ground Mounts: First established in 2018, SolarLand creatively repurposes idle industrial land or recently reclaimed land earmarked for future residential development. This initiative utilizes flexible, modular solar technologies. When the land is required for its long-term designated use, the solar facility can be dismantled and redeployed elsewhere. Currently, seven such sites across Singapore collectively generate 62 MWp. This temporary deployment model allows for interim land use optimization, a critical strategy in a land-scarce environment.

The Tuas solar farm, operated by EDP Renewables (EDPR) in collaboration with JTC, spans 10 hectares and generates up to 17.6 MWp. An adjacent 11.6-hectare site in Tuas hosts a 35,500 PV array, making it a significant ground-mounted solar farm on a single parcel of land.

The solar arrays deployed under initiatives like JTC SolarLand feed direct current (DC) voltage into inverters. These inverters convert the power into alternating current (AC), which then passes through step-up transformers to reach the required voltage before being fed directly into Singapore’s electricity grid. This process is standard for PV installations, highlighting the integration into existing grid infrastructure. CleanTechnica visited the facility and will report on it very soon.

Floating Solar Arrays: Expanding Beyond Land: The Woodlands Offshore Floating Photovoltaic Array, completed in March 2021, demonstrates Singapore’s push beyond terrestrial constraints. Located near the shores of Johor, this 5 MWp project was notable for its scale at the time of its completion. It has generated an estimated 6.02 GWh of clean energy per year, offsetting approximately 4,258 tons of CO2 emissions annually. This deployment type leverages Singapore’s surrounding waters, offering another avenue for utility-scale solar where land is unavailable. While floating solar arrays present unique engineering and environmental considerations, they represent a key component of the nation’s diversified solar portfolio.

2,000 Hours Of Sunlight

Singapore benefits from over 2,000 hours of sunlight annually, a significant natural resource. As Ricciardi points out, “We may be short on land, but not on sunlight. How we creatively harness it is the game changer,” Filipa Ricciardi, Executive Director at EDP Renewables APAC told CleanTechnica.

“Ground solar has a more meaningful impact at scale because it is easier and faster to install and deploy. Rooftop solar and floating solar have particular, practical challenges that ground-level facilities do not.” This perspective underscores the complementary roles of different solar technologies in Singapore’s energy mix.

Future Outlook & Challenges

Singapore’s journey towards increased solar adoption is ongoing and is a basis of curated and planned growth, with clear lines of collaboration between stakeholders, not simply application, approval, and certifications.

While the strategies for rooftop, temporary ground, and floating PV arrays address the immediate land constraint, future growth will also depend on overcoming challenges such as intermittency, grid integration complexities, and optimizing energy storage solutions. Wind energy hasn’t been on the agenda since 2017 because currently available and viable commercial on-shore wind turbines operate at average wind speeds of at least 4.5 meters per second (14 kms per hour or ~10 miles per hour) but the average wind speed in Singapore is only about 2-3 m/s.

Thus the energy agency has begun piloting projects in battery storage and smart grid technologies to ensure grid stability as solar penetration increases, and instead imports wind-generated power from Vietnam.

Disclaimer: SolarNova and EDPR did not sponsor CleanTechnica on this coverage. It was part of a trip sponsored by Amazon Web Services for the AWS Innovation Center. EDP helps power AWS operations in Singapore via a virtual clean energy PPA. CleanTechnica pursued the stories while in Singapore.