The energy company EDP ​​and JTC Corporation will develop the first facility of solar panels suspended between buildings in Singapore. The pilot project will have a capacity of up to 455 kilowatts peak (kWp) and will utilize approximately 4,300 square meters of available space between industrial buildings to generate electricity.
The initiative seeks to find new ways to harness solar energy in Singapore, where land availability is one of the main challenges to expanding renewable capacity. Instead of occupying new land, the panels will be installed on an elevated structure between existing buildings.
EDP it will be in charge of the design, construction, operation and testing of the photovoltaic system, which will be installed in an industrial complex managed by JTC Corporation, a public body dependent on the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Singapore.
The project proposes a different configuration to conventional solar installations, in this case, the photovoltaic modules will be supported by a structure suspended between buildings, taking advantage of a space that until now has not been used to produce energy.
The installation will have a maximum planned capacity of 455 kWp, corresponding to the nominal power of the panels under standardized test conditions. The amount of electricity generated will depend on factors such as solar radiation, environmental conditions, and system performance.
According to the established schedule, the facility will begin operating during the first half of 2028, from its commissioning, the electricity produced will be delivered to Singapore’s national grid for ten years.
As this is a new installation in Singapore, one of the main objectives will be to test how this technology works in an existing industrial environment.
During the project’s development, EDP will evaluate the conditions necessary for installing and operating a suspended photovoltaic structure. Technical aspects will include integration with buildings, the structure’s performance, and maintenance requirements.
The tests will provide a better understanding of the potential for using these systems in other industrial settings. They will also provide information on the conditions that must be met to ensure safe and efficient operation.
One of the most interesting features of this proposal is that it takes advantage of areas that are normally left out of the solar projects. In cities with high building density, the spaces between buildings represent an opportunity to complement photovoltaic generation installed on rooftops and other surfaces.
At present, the companies have not released an estimate of the annual electricity production or the emissions that would be avoided with the system. These results will depend on the system’s performance once it becomes operational.
The project is part of Singapore efforts to increase its renewable energy generation, the country aims to reach 3 gigawatts peak (GWp) of installed solar capacity by 2030, a goal that requires making better use of available space.
The scarcity of land has led to exploring different alternatives for installing photovoltaic systems, in addition to building rooftops, Singapore it has promoted projects on aquatic surfaces and industrial areas that allow electricity to be produced without occupying large areas of land.
In this scenario, suspended solar panels offer a new possibility, their design seeks to convert open spaces between buildings into surfaces intended for electricity generation, without modifying the main use of the land.
However, before extending this solution to other facilities, it will be necessary to verify its technical and operational feasibility. The results of the pilot project will help determine under what conditions it could be used in other industrial complexes.
The installation also represents a new stage in the collaboration between EDP and JTC Corporation, who have already worked together on photovoltaic generation projects.
In 2020, EDP was awarded the third phase of the SolarLand program, an initiative that has 51.2 MWp of solar capacity in operation, according to information provided by the organizations.
Singapore occupies an important place within EDP operations in Asia-Pacific, currently, it is its largest distributed solar energy market in the region and also houses the center from which it coordinates its regional activities.
For JTC, the new project will allow them to explore other ways of incorporating renewable technologies into the industrial developments under their management. The experience gained during the trials will serve as a benchmark for evaluating future installations with similar characteristics.
With a planned capacity of 455 kWp, the suspended solar system will allow us to test whether the spaces between buildings represent a viable alternative for generating electricity in industrial environments.
If the tests yield favorable results, this configuration could open up new opportunities to utilize surfaces that currently remain unused for energy and contribute to the development of solar energy in Singapore.
Source and photo: EDP
Analyst and writer of news specialized in industrial technology, with a solid background in engineering. My work focuses on curating and synthesizing complex information, transforming technical advances and regulatory changes into journalistic reports.
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