Sunseap to build five-hectare offshore floating solar system along Straits of Johor

The system will reduce 26,000 tonnes in greenhouse gas emissions once operational in 2019.

Sunseap Group is developing one of the world’s first and largest offshore floating photovoltaic (OFPV) systems along the Straits of Johor which will generate renewable energy equivalent to powering 1,250 four-room flats, an announcement revealed.

Whilst most large-scale floating PV systems are built on freshwater ponds, lakes or reservoirs, Sunseap’s latest development is one of the largest sea-based PV projects, it said. The OFPV system will be located north of Woodlands Waterfront Park.

The five-hectare OFPV pilot in Woodlands which is equivalent to the size of five football fields is expected to be commercially operational in early 2019, the statement revealed.

According to the statement, it will generate about 6,388MWh of renewable energy annually once completed, with a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of about 26,000 tonnes every year, over the next 25 year or so.

“Our floating solar system supports Singapore’s ambition to be a solar hub for Asia, and we hope it will ignite more deployment of alternative methods of tapping solar energy,” Sunseap’s co-founder and CEO Frank Phuan said.

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The widespread use of PV systems is hindered by space constraints and limited roof space in land-scarce countries like Singapore, and thus the delivery of such projects is vital in opening up similar opportunities in the region, Phuan added.

“Solar is one of the most viable and sustainable clean energy options in Singapore, and we continue to see innovative solar solutions being developed and deployed here,” Economic Development Board (EDB) executive director of energy, chemicals & materials Damian Chan said.

Sunseap previously participated in the world’s largest floating PV test-bed in Singapore at Tengeh Reservoir which showed that floating PV systems perform better than typical rooftop solar PV systems in Singapore due to cooler temperatures of the reservoir environment.