from the ground Up

by Jessica Cheam, The Straits Times, May 22 2009

SOLAR panels of different shapes and sizes are finding their way onto Singapore’s buildings as the nation bids to grow its solar industry.
The Economic Development Board (EDB) said yesterday that it has handed out $8 million in grants for public and private solar projects which will develop Singapore’s expertise in the technology.
The Government will spend a total of $68 million to test-bed solar projects and develop local skills in preparation for mass adoption when the technology becomes cheaper, said EDB managing director Beh Swan Gin.
The EDB-led Clean Energy Programme Office (Cepo) yesterday gave the Solar Pioneer Award under the $20 million Solar Capability Scheme to the first five private-sector projects. The scheme was launched last year.
They are City Developments’ office building Tampines Grande, Lend Lease Retail’s shopping complex 313@Somerset, Robert Bosch’s regional headquarters building, and manufacturing facilities at Lonza Biologics and Applied Materials.
The EDB funds up to 40 per cent of the costs of certain solar projects.
The test-bed projects were chosen based on innovation, design, effectiveness and skills development, said the EDB.
Tampines Grande, for example, raised the bar by being the first private commercial building to use building integrated photovoltaics, or BIPV. This integrates solar panels into the facades of buildings.
It also built Singapore’s first solar thermal air-conditioning system, which works by heating up water needed by chillers to produce chilled water.
The building, which won a platinum green building award for its green features, saves an annual 2.7 million kilowatt-hours and reduces carbon emissions by 1,400 tonnes a year.
Cepo also announced a second batch of public-sector projects under its $17 million Clean Energy Research and Test-bedding programme.
These are Ngee Ann Polytechnic, the Changi Airport Budget Terminal, National Environment Agency’s Meteorological Station and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.
Separately, the Housing Board is committing $31 million to testing solar panels on its flats.
Altogether, Singapore’s installed base of solar systems will increase by 25 times, from 200 kilowatts last year to about 5MW, when all the test-bed projects are up and running.
A new National Solar Data Repository centre was also announced, jointly set up by Singapore Polytechnic and the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore.
Data will be collated and studied to improve the efficiency of solar systems in the tropical climate, said its chief executive, Professor Joachim Luther.
EDB deputy managing director Manohar Khiatani said some firms have expressed interest in being “solar utilities” where mass solar systems are aggregated and operated to achieve cost savings, although there are no details yet.
The EDB is also in talks to attract more “key solar players” to further grow Singapore’s solar ecosystem of firms, he said.