Singapore wants to put solar panels between buildings

To cram even more solar panels into its small land area, Singapore is exploring solar "overhangs" to harvest solar energy using the empty spaces between buildings.

Solar capital

Singapore made solar work by installing photovoltaic (PV) systems wherever it could. It's somewhat mind-boggling but it has installed floating panels across multiple reservoirs, near-shore floating PV platforms at sea, panels on the rooftops of HDB flats, and ground-mounted panels.

As I wrote previously, there are other deployment options being rolled out or studied for feasibility, including vertical deployments on walls and canopy-based systems mounted over walkways.

Currently, Singapore has 1,775 megawatt-peak of PV systems nationwide, nearing its target to hit 2 gigawatt-peak (GWp) by 2030.

Overhang PV systems

Today, JTC launched a tender to develop a pilot "overhang" solar photovoltaic (PV) system. Yes, this means PVs installed in the spaces between buildings.

In this instance, the tender will comprise structures built across the spaces between multi-storey industrial buildings. The idea is to maximise untapped spaces within industrial estates to support national solar targets.

Groundwork for scaling up

Building overhang PV systems between existing buildings comes with unique engineering and operational considerations, says JTC. Structures need to safely carry the additional weight, withstand wind resistance at elevated height, have optimal spacing to maximise solar exposure, proper drainage control for rainwater, and meet requirements around structural integrity and fire safety.

So, it's no walk in the park.

The idea for this pilot is to determine how such systems can be developed and deployed at scale.