SINGAPORE: Sentosa and Resorts World Sentosa (RSW) are embarking on a large-scale deployment of solar panels to harness energy across the island from this month, as part of its efforts to go carbon neutral by 2030.
The panels will be installed at a new batch of 18 sites, including Palawan Kidz City, Beach Station, Universal Studios Singapore and Hard Rock Hotel, said Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) on Wednesday (Jun 15).
This marks the first major renewable energy milestone under the refreshed Sustainable Sentosa roadmap, which was launched in September last year.
Under this, Sentosa has committed to becoming a carbon neutral destination by 2030 and a “globally recognised, certified sustainable tourism destination”. It is also studying other sources of renewable energy, such as tidal energy and waste-to-energy generators, as part of its long-term strategies.
Small-scale pilots are currently being explored with a view of scaling them for mass deployment should they prove successful. The island aims to power 10 per cent of its electricity usage through onsite renewable energy by 2030.
DEPLOYMENT AT 18 SITES, TENDER LAUNCHED
As part of the deployment, SDC launched a tender on Wednesday for the installation of solar cells, marking the first time that “rooftops with carrying tenures are being consolidated into a single tender in Singapore”, it said.
These will include seven sites such as Palawan Kidz City, Beach Station and three Sentosa Line cable car stations.
“The consolidation will strengthen the tender’s commercial viability, with more spaces activated for solar energy generation,” SDC said.
“Under this tender, tenure refers to the duration that each rooftop is available for photovoltaic cell installations, based on considerations such as development and renovation plans for each building.”
The locations were chosen after taking into account the availability of sufficient sunlight and unobstructed guest experience, it added.
