Tender called for installation of solar panels on 1,290 HDB blocks, 99 government sites
More than 8,400 HDB blocks have been committed for solar installation till date, to help reduce Singapore’s carbon footprint. (Photo: Sembcorp Industries)
SINGAPORE: The Housing Board (HDB) launched a tender on Friday (Feb 25) to install solar panels on 1,290 HDB blocks and 99 government sites.
With a solar capacity of 75 megawatt-peak (MWp), the SolarNova Tender will cater to demand from HDB flats in Bishan-Toa Payoh, Tanjong Pagar and Jurong-Clementi Town Councils.
The government sites comprise 57 schools, 37 sites across Singapore Polytechnic's campus, Fuchun CC, two Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) sites, the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board office building and the upcoming Khatib Polyclinic.
This is the seventh solar leasing tender under the SolarNova programme, led jointly by HDB and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) to accelerate the deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in Singapore and helps drive the growth of Singapore’s solar industry.
Under the programme, solar energy that is harnessed is first used to "power common services, such as lifts, lights and water pumps in housing estates in the day, with excess energy channelled to the grid, HDB said
HDB said it is the largest driver for the installation of solar PV systems in Singapore today.
Inclusive of this tender, it has "committed a total solar capacity of 380 MWp for about 8,400 HDB blocks". This is equivalent to powering 95,000 four-room flats with solar energy, it added.
2,700 HDB blocks have been installed with solar panels to date.
The seventh solar leasing tender will close on May 20, 2022 and is targeted to be awarded in the fourth quarter of 2022. Installation of the solar PV systems is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2025.
This initiative is part of the HDB Green Towns Programme, which was launched in 2020 and aims to bring sustainable living to all existing HDB towns by 2030.
The generated solar energy helps to reduce carbon emissions, thereby mitigating the effects of climate change, HDB said.
It added that the 2030 target of 540 MWp could potentially generate 648 GWh of solar energy annually to power the equivalent of 135,000 four-room flats.
“We will continue to leverage new technologies and smart solutions to support the national goal of achieving a green and sustainable Singapore," HDB’s chief executive officer Tan Meng Dui said.
