Singapore builds solar farms on water for lack of space

The modest-sized financial center is today one of the largest emitters of CO² per capita in Asia.

The authorities are working to reduce the city's carbon footprint, but it is a difficult challenge in a country that does not have rivers that can produce hydroelectricity and where the wind is not strong enough to run wind turbines.

The tropical country has therefore turned to solar energy. But with a limited area, equivalent to that of half of Los Angeles, it had to install solar panels offshore and on water tanks.

"After using all the rooftops and land available, it is the water bodies that have great potential," said Jen Tan, senior vice president and head of solar energy for the Southeast Asia region. Is at Sembcorp Industries, company in charge of the project.

The city-state threatened by rising water levels due to climate change, is well aware of the urgency to reduce CO² emissions, but observers find its efforts so far timid.

The Singaporean government unveiled a "Green Plan" last month which plans to plant trees, reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and increase charging stations for electric cars.

It also plans to quadruple the production of solar energy, up to 2% of the country's consumption in 2025, and 3% in 2030, which corresponds to the needs of 350.000 households per year.

"New frontier"

A new photovoltaic farm runs from the coast to the Strait of Johor which separates the island of Singapore from the peninsula of Malaysia.

The 13.000 panels anchored to the seabed represent a capacity of five megawatts (MW) of electricity, enough to supply 1.400 apartments.

"The sea is the new frontier for solar installations," said Shawn Tan, vice president for engineering at Sunseap Group, a Singaporean group which completed the project in January.

"We hope this will encourage more floating projects at sea in Singapore and neighboring countries."

A larger project is underway on the Tengeh water reservoir. With 122.000 solar panels, imported from China, the project with a maximum capacity of 60 megawatts (MW) will be one of the largest solar farms in Southeast Asia.

It is expected to generate enough electricity to cover the needs of Singapore's water reprocessing facilities. And help avoid CO² emissions equivalent to those of some 7.000 cars on the road.

"Insufficient" objectives

But even at sea, Singapore, a major maritime and commercial hub, could face a lack of space, points out Subhod Mhaisalkar, executive director of the Energy Research Institute at Nanyang Technological University.

“Should we use the ocean for navigation or to deploy solar energy capabilities?” He asks.

And despite its desire to become greener, the city-state will find it difficult to overcome its dependence on natural gas, which provides 95% of its electricity, and to reduce its emissions without harming the refining and petrochemical sectors. .

Solar farm projects will not be enough if they are not accompanied by a greater commitment to reducing emissions, emphasizes Red Constantino, executive director of the Philippines-based Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities.

Singapore has pledged to halve its 2050 emissions level by 2030 and to reach the zero emissions target "as soon as possible" thereafter.

These targets lag behind those of other developed economies, and the Climate Action Tracker, an independent assessment body, called them "grossly insufficient".

Singapore is not making a fair contribution to global efforts, Red Constantino told AFP. And solar farms will be "window dressing" if the government does not move faster.