Debated in Parliament on 9 Jan 2017.
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for National Development (a) what plans are there to encourage more building owners and property developers to adopt solar energy technology; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider introducing incentives for private landed home owners to install solar panels at their properties to save on energy consumption.
Solar energy is a promising renewable energy option for Singapore. We plan to increase our solar generation capacity from 114 Mega-Watt-peak (MWp) today to 350 MWp by 2020. This will represent about 5% of our projected peak electricity demand in 2020.
The Government is encouraging the adoption of solar energy technology in several ways. First, we are aggregating demand across Government agencies through the SolarNova programme. Aggregating demand leads to greater economies of scale and reduced costs. So far, around 55 MWp of solar panels have been installed on about 1,000 Housing and Development Board (HDB) blocks. The intention is to eventually deploy solar panels on 5,500 HDB blocks and 100 Government buildings by 2020.
Second, the Building and Construction Authority's Green Mark Scheme encourages the adoption of renewable energy, including solar power. Green Mark accreditation points are awarded to buildings for incorporating sustainable design features like the installation of solar panels. To date, over 100 Green Mark developments have committed to installing solar panels. Together, they will contribute about 20 MWp to our solar generation capacity.
For private landed home owners, they are free to install solar panels on their own properties. The Energy Market Authority and Singapore Power have provided information to guide home owners on how they can go about doing this. In addition, they can offset their electricity bills by selling any excess solar-generated power back to the power grid.
The Government will continue to study ways to encourage more solar power adoption, including continued investment in research and development, policy enhancements and increased engagement with potential users.
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