Solar Power in Singapore
July 20, 2021 10:29 AM   Subscribe

 
Who needs water when you have rooftops?
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 11:11 AM on July 20, 2021 [1 favorite]


…. Because (although too lazy to check) I’m guessing that the owners of both the reservoir & power transmission entities are owned by TEMASEK, in which case realizing such a vision is significantly more feasible. Which is likely not the case for many of the rooftop installations (in the US) mentioned in that article.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 12:11 PM on July 20, 2021 [1 favorite]


Why not both
PUB has several solar projects planned or under construction, including floating installations at Bedok and Lower Seletar reservoirs to be deployed later this year.
PUB has also enrolled 13 additional sites in this year’s SolarNova programme that has been launched by the Economic Development Board and Housing Board to accelerate the deployment of solar PV systems across government agencies.

Since it launched in 2014, the programme has committed 330 MWp of solar deployment across the rooftops of 5,885 HDB blocks and 218 government sites such as schools, food centres and hospitals. When the projects from all six tenders are completed, they will make up nearly a quarter of the nation’s 2025 goal.
Also the cooling effects of the water and wind at the floating site means the floating panels are more efficient than the same panels installed on a roof.
posted by Mitheral at 12:43 PM on July 20, 2021 [8 favorites]


Also covering a water supply would reduce losses due to evaporation!
posted by nickggully at 12:45 PM on July 20, 2021 [12 favorites]


Looking ahead I keep imagining more and more of the world covered in solar panels: rooftops, roads, fields where the wind is paltry. I'm glad to see Singapore add this to the mix.
posted by doctornemo at 1:13 PM on July 20, 2021 [1 favorite]


Singapore also appears to have significant rooftop solar (existing and planned). So this is definitely "lets have both". Which makes sense --- its a very dense place, so you'd need to cover the majority of the country in solar to generate a significant percentage of electricity from it (I believe).
posted by thefoxgod at 1:39 PM on July 20, 2021 [2 favorites]


Singapore also appears to have significant rooftop solar (existing and planned). So this is definitely "lets have both". Which makes sense --- its a very dense place, so you'd need to cover the majority of the country in solar to generate a significant percentage of electricity from it (I believe).

This is the main reason why Singapore has what looks like such an unimpressive target for decarbonisation of electricity. There's very little space on the island so even with extraordinary efforts you hit a limit.
posted by atrazine at 2:00 PM on July 20, 2021


This seems like a great idea for any water reservoir that's not likely to drop significantly year-to-year (so, like, all of the ones in California).
posted by GuyZero at 2:29 PM on July 20, 2021 [1 favorite]


The reservoirs are often multi purpose though - people fish and boat, and there’s a ten year plan I remember that had an aim to make one of them available for swimming. We’ve got a surprisingly large offshore area under our control for projects like this.

And another alternative is urban farms on rooftops which they’re experimenting with to mixed results.

Now solar farming on our waste of space golf courses…. They take up a much resented 2% of our land space.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 3:54 PM on July 20, 2021 [6 favorites]


fields where the wind is paltry

And fields where the wind isn't paltry.
posted by biffa at 4:40 PM on July 20, 2021


Aren't all farms solar?
posted by notoriety public at 5:33 PM on July 20, 2021 [3 favorites]


Mushroom?
posted by Mitheral at 5:57 PM on July 20, 2021 [2 favorites]


I quite like how the floats are food grade.
posted by aniola at 6:21 PM on July 20, 2021 [1 favorite]


I think it's a great idea, did not see slime mitigation. Lake or ocean stuff likes to grow on stuff. Very smooth plastic is excellent slime, barnacle and other messy stuff mitigation but a few scratches and stuff gets a foothold, or tendrel hold. It's mostly on the bottom but certainly will creep up. It's also close to a city and car and factory particulates dust over surfaces reducing the light.
posted by sammyo at 8:33 PM on July 20, 2021 [1 favorite]


MetaFilter: I think it's a great idea, did not see slime mitigation.
posted by hippybear at 8:50 PM on July 20, 2021 [10 favorites]


The reservoirs are often multi purpose though --dorothyisunderwood

Got me thinking--south of San Francisco there's a 2 square mile Crystal Springs Reservoir, used for drinking water storage, so no one is allowed to go near it. That would be perfect for a floating solar farm. That would also help prevent evaporation, which is just as important in this drought prone state (especially this year).
posted by eye of newt at 8:54 PM on July 20, 2021 [2 favorites]


MetaFilter: It's mostly on the bottom but certainly will creep up.
posted by chavenet at 11:33 PM on July 20, 2021


I was always wondering if the shade balls they use in reservoirs could be modified with solar panels and batteries. Basically, you'd float a bunch of them until they are charged up, then repeatedly swap them out for extraction.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 4:00 AM on July 21, 2021


"[...] its 60-megawatt peak (MWp) capacity can churn out enough electricity to power around 16,000 four-room Housing Board flats for one year."

Arrgh!!
posted by kleinsteradikaleminderheit at 8:46 AM on July 21, 2021 [1 favorite]


LA put shade balls on one reservoir to stop bromate formation (although everyone assumes it's an evaporation thing, it turns out bromate is a PITA to remove). So shading reservoirs has other useful features.

And, for the no solar farm collection, I offer Yorkshire's forced rhubarb farms.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 9:28 PM on July 21, 2021


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