SP Group To Install Rooftop Solar Panels At 37 Electricity Substations By 2025 In Singapore

SP Group (SP) announced that it will be installing rooftop solar panels at 37 electricity substations by 2025, with a total installed capacity of 15.7 megawatt-peak (MWp). This is the latest green initiative by SP to optimize substations with low-carbon capabilities and achieve our national sustainability targets.

When completed, the combined solar power capacity of 15.7 megawatt-peak (MWp) will deliver up to 21,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of renewable electricity into Singapore’s electricity network annually – enough to power more than 4,500 four-room Housing Development Board (HDB) flats for a year. The substations were selected for their suitability to install solar panels and generate solar energy.

The rooftop solar installation will be done across three phases. The first phase of six substations with a combined solar power capacity of 7.1 MWp will be completed by end2023 – with the very first substation at West Jurong Island to have its rooftop solar system operational by July 2023. This will be followed by the second batch of 12 substations with a combined capacity of 6 MWp by mid-2024 and the final batch of 19 substations with a combined capacity of 2.6 MWp to be completed by the end-2025. Each substation will have an installed capacity not exceeding 1 MWac (Megawatt of AC Power).

The initiative is part of Singapore’s plans to incorporate more renewable energy in its energy mix and will contribute towards EMA’s target of installing at least 2 gigawatt-peak (GWp) solar deployment by 2030. It will also support Singapore’s long-term ambitions to
achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Mr. Ngiam Shih Chun, Chief Executive of the Energy Market Authority (EMA), said, “Solar is Singapore’s most viable renewable energy source. As part of our efforts to tackle climate change and decarbonize the power sector, we will need to maximize solar deployment on all available land and space in Singapore. With SP Group’s deployment of solar panels on its network of power substations, this brings about an intuitive use of the limited space available in addition to other innovative deployments such as on temporary vacant land and water bodies.”

Mr. Stanley Huang, the Group CEO, of SP Group, said, “In supporting the energy transition, we are keen to leverage our electricity substations and roof spaces to contribute clean energy for Singapore. We will continue to work closely with EMA to optimize our existing electricity infrastructure and assets to provide reliable and efficient electricity supply, and to support developments to meet Singapore’s sustainability targets.”

SP has been working on various green initiatives to leverage electricity substations for sustainable outcomes. In August this year, EMA and SP jointly announced a pilot to test the viability of installing a thermal energy storage system at the George Street substation. The
pilot also includes the installation of additional chillers to support the future expansion of the Marina Bay district cooling network, bringing sustainable cooling to more buildings. This is the first move to locate an ice thermal storage facility outside a district cooling plant.