Singapore Launches World's Largest Floating And Eco-Friendly Solar Power Plant

JAKARTA - Singapore launched one of the largest floating solar power plants in the world, with an area equivalent to 45 football fields, Wednesday, July 14 local time.

With such an area, the solar panel farm is capable of generating enough electricity to power five water treatment plants in the Lion Country.

Named 'Sembcorp Tengeh Floating Solar Farm', this solar power plant located in the Tengeh Reservoir, was inaugurated directly by Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong, citing Sembcorp.com.

The project is part of an effort by these limited Southeast Asian city-states to meet the goal of doubling solar energy production by 2025, helping to tackle climate change.

Located in a reservoir west of Singapore, this 60 megawatt photovoltaic (PV) solar power plant is one of the largest inland floating solar power generation systems in the world.

The electricity generated from the solar power plant will be enough to power five of Singapore's local water treatment plants, offsetting about 7 percent of PUB's annual energy needs, reducing PUB's carbon footprint. This is equivalent to lighting about 16,000 four-chamber HDB flats and reducing carbon emissions by about 32 kilotons per year, the equivalent of removing 7,000 cars from the road.

In contrast to conventional rooftop solar panels, floating ones perform between 5 percent to 15 percent better due to the cooling effect of water, and are not affected by shade from other buildings, according to the project presentation.

To allay concerns about the environmental impact of such a project, PUB said an assessment was carried out before installing the solar panels, to ensure there were no significant impacts on wildlife or water quality.

"This solar power plant is carefully designed to increase airflow, allowing sunlight to pass through the water (to reach aquatic life)," said Jen Tan, regional head at Sembcorp Industries.

Started construction in August 2020, this solar power plant is designed to last for 25 years. Drones will be used to assist maintenance processes with electroluminescence imaging technology on utility-scale PV systems.

In addition, this solar power plant is carefully designed to minimize the impact on water quality, flora and fauna of the reservoir. Sufficient distance between solar panels is included to increase airflow and allow sufficient sunlight to reach aquatic life. Additional aerators are also installed to maintain oxygen levels in the reservoir.

"With this floating solar power plant, which we believe is one of the largest in the world, PUB is taking a major step towards sustainable energy sustainability in water treatment. Solar energy is abundant, clean and green, and is key to reducing PUB's carbon footprint and also Singapore," said PUB Chief Executive Mr Ng Joo Hee.

To note, there are currently four other floating solar power projects currently underway in Singapore.