SINGAPORE - In an effort to maximise the amount of solar energy that can be generated in land-scarce Singapore, the authorities are exploring the possibility of building solar canopies at Jurong and Tuas ports.

Similarly, JTC Corporation, the government agency overseeing Singapore’s industrial spaces, plans to look at whether it is possible to erect solar canopies over roads, carparks, drains and other open spaces in Singapore.

Experts said these initiatives, if found to be feasible, could significantly increase Singapore’s solar power capacity, which is crucial for achieving the national goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Solar canopies are outdoor, roof-like structures designed to hold overhanging solar panels, while providing shelter and shade.

Some examples here include the canopy at the main entrance of Guoco Tower in Tanjong Pagar, which has integrated solar panels that can produce up to 2 per cent of the building’s energy use, and breeze shelters at the Marina Bay waterfront promenade.

Singapore has said it aims to generate at least 2 gigawatt-peak (GWp) of solar power by 2030, which is enough to meet about 3 per cent of the country’s projected electricity demand.

As at the first quarter of 2024, the Republic has achieved around 1.2 GWp.

On June 28, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and JTC each called their own tenders for consultants to conduct preliminary studies on the technical and economic feasibility of building solar canopies over various spaces in Singapore.

In the MPA and JTC tenders, the appointed consultants will need to come up with proposed designs for the respective use cases, and recommend where they can be installed for trials, according to tender documents seen by The Straits Times.

MPA said its feasibility study is expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2024 and be completed by the end of 2025.

JTC’s study is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2025 and take about 18 months.

According to its tender, JTC plans to develop solar canopy systems that will cover expressways and major arterial roads, as well as open drains and shelters here.

Some of the possible reference sites listed in the JTC tender include sections of the Ayer Rajah Expressway and roads like Jurong Island Highway and Tuas South Avenue.

The design of the solar canopy must meet a slew of requirements, including ensuring the canopies do not affect visibility for motorists and pedestrians, the tender said.

In response to queries, JTC said more details will be available only after the completion of the study, which will be carried out with the support of the Energy Market Authority, Land Transport Authority, Ministry of Defence, National Environment Agency, national water agency PUB and Sentosa Development Corporation.

Similar studies have been conducted elsewhere.

For instance, a prototype solar roof was built in 2023 near a rest area on the German Autobahn in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg, as part of a joint research project between Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Over at Singapore’s ports, MPA is considering erecting solar canopies over the container storage yard and roads within Tuas Port, which is being built in phases and will be fully completed in the 2040s.

At Jurong Port, which has been in operation since 1965, the idea is to install solar canopies over the steelyard and roads there.

MPA said in its tender that the solar canopies should be designed to have minimal impact on operations, yard space and the cargo-handling capacity at the two ports.

The solar canopy systems should also be designed in such a way that they do not affect wireless radio signals.

As part of the tender, the consultant will be required to incorporate “potential communications solutions” into the design of the solar canopies as well.

These will likely include 5G technology, which will be deployed at Tuas Port to support the use of automated vehicles and cranes there.

“The high points offered by a solar canopy infrastructure present an opportunity for operators to potentially test out new and emerging technologies,” MPA said in response to queries, without providing more details.

MPA said it is also studying various options for the ownership, operation and maintenance of the proposed solar canopies.

Dr Serena Lin Fen, head of urban solar solutions at the NUS Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, said solar canopies are becoming increasingly common in Singapore, and they can already be found on rooftops, and above carparks and foyers.

“Given Singapore’s land scarcity, leveraging the same areas for multiple purposes is critical,” she added, noting that solar canopies also provide shade, which could reduce the need for air-conditioning too.

At the ports, MPA’s move to explore the prospect of building solar canopies could significantly augment Singapore’s solar capacity, if it is rolled out without disrupting current port operations.

Dr Lin said: “In Singapore, each square metre of solar panel can generate approximately 250 kWh (kilowatt-hours) of electricity annually. Given the expansive areas available in the ports, this presents a huge opportunity for renewable power generation for Singapore.”

Yet a major challenge with installing solar canopies at Tuas and Jurong ports is the minimum height needed to ensure minimal disruption, she said.

Meeting these requirements will incur higher structural and maintenance costs, compared with standard solar canopy installations. Hence, innovations in technology and structural design will be essential to reducing these costs, Dr Lin added.

For example, retractable structures could be used to provide more flexibility when installed over existing infrastructure. Novel materials like sustainable wood could also be looked at.

Despite these challenges, deploying elevated solar canopies remains an economically viable and strategically advantageous option when compared with importing renewable energy, which comes with its own extra costs, Dr Lin said.

The extra costs are for infrastructure like submarine cables, and also potential tariffs and import taxes.

Mr Niels de Boer, chief operating officer of NTU’s Energy Research Institute, said other ports, like Portsmouth in Britain, are also looking at solar canopies, though these efforts are still in early stages.

Besides construction challenges, there could be other difficulties due to strong winds and heavy rain during thunderstorms, and potential damage due to lightning strikes, Mr de Boer noted.

He said ports also tend to be dusty, and this could affect the performance of solar panels, which would need to be cleaned regularly.

In building solar canopies at the ports, the potential need for large-scale energy storage systems to store the solar power generated should be considered too, Mr de Boer said, adding that these storage systems come with their own set of financial and engineering challenges.

But with Tuas Port expected to run on electric equipment and vehicles, solar energy will significantly reduce its power bills and help the port to achieve its target of net-zero emissions by 2050, he added.

Jurong Port, which is wholly owned by JTC, said it aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040.

A spokeswoman for the port noted that there is already a 9.56 MW-peak solar panel system installed on the rooftops of the buildings there.

But with finite space on these roofs for solar panels, she said purpose-built solar canopies would allow Jurong Port to more efficiently use its storage areas by tapping the space above to generate solar energy.

Jurong Port also said it has been actively mechanising and electrifying its operations, which means its electricity consumption will increase, and the indirect emissions it causes will be expected to rise.

“Solar power will play an instrumental role in our decarbonisation efforts,” the port said.

Source: The Straits Times