Singapore Now Has One Of World’s Largest Floating Solar Farms
Updated: Aug 10, 2021
Sunseap Group, Singapore’s leading solar energy provider, announced that they have completed the installation of their floating solar farm on seawater in the Straits of Johor, making Singapore the home of one of the world’s largest floating solar farms.
Sunseap’s floating solar farm on the Johor Straits Credit: Sunseap Group
The floating solar farm involved more than 13,000 solar panels, 40 inverters and more than 30,000 floats. It is expected to produce around six million kilowatt-hours (kWH) of energy per year, an amount that could offset the greenhouse gas emissions from more than 900 passenger vehicles a year.
It was designed with a constant tension mooring system that allows the whole installation to withstand changing weather conditions and keep them steady. It also has an air-conditioned second deck that can serve as a visitor centre and viewing gallery for the floating solar farm.
The floating solar farm in the Otae Reservoir Credit: LG CNS
Sunseap’s floating solar farm is not only one of the largest of its kind in the world in terms of size covered, but also one of the largest in terms of output. The power from another floating solar farm in the Otae and Jipyeong Reservoir at Sangju City, South Korea could offset 3.6 tons of carbon dioxide per year, while Sunseap’s could offset 4,258 tons of carbon dioxide a year.
“This is an important milestone for Sunseap as we believe that offshore space like the sea, reservoirs, lakes etc., offers exciting opportunities for land-scarce and densely populated cities to tap solar energy,” said Frank Phuan, co-founder and CEO of Sunseap Group. “They are places that are unobscured from the sun and with low risks of vandalism or theft.”
Sunseap hopes that the successful completion of their floating solar farm will lead to more offshore floating photovoltaic systems being built in the Johor strait region as land-scarce countries tap offshore solar as part of their renewables strategy.
Written by John Paul Joaquin