Today, Sembcorp Industries (Sembcorp) announced that it is partnering CapitaLand Group (CapitaLand) for the installation and operation of rooftop solar farms at six CapitaLand properties in Singapore.
Sembcorp will install, own, and operate rooftop solar panels with a combined capacity of approximately 8.1 megawatt-peak held by CapitaLand’s business space and industrial real estate investment trust (Reit), Ascendas Reit.
The buildings are as below:
- 1 Changi Business Park Avenue 1
- 9 Changi South Street 3
- 2 Senoko South Road
- 40 Penjuru Lane
- Techpoint in Ang Mo Kio
- LogisTech at Changi
More than 21,000 solar panels will be installed, and will “significantly” lower CapitaLand’s carbon footprint.
The solar energy system will help to avoid over 4.3 million kilogrammes of carbon dioxide emissions a year, equivalent to taking around 937 cars off the road or planting over 52,000 trees.
Upon full installation at the end of 2019, the solar power farm is expected to produce over 10,200 megawatt hours of power annually, which is enough renewable energy to power about 2,300 four-room HDB flats for a year.
Surplus solar power generated will be channelled to the grid, and when completed, CapitaLand will “house Singapore’s largest combined rooftop solar farm by a real estate company”.
Said Koh Chiap Khiong, Head of Singapore, Southeast Asia & China (Energy), Sembcorp: “We are delighted to have CapitaLand, one of Asia’s largest diversified real estate groups, as our new solar power customer and for the confidence they have in us to deliver this project successfully.”
“This new project also reinforces Sembcorp’s strong commitment to sustainability and our continued efforts to support Singapore’s goal of reaching its target of 350 megawatt-peak of solar capacity by next year.”
To date, Sembcorp has over 140 megawatt-peak of rooftop solar power capacity in operation and under development across more than 1,500 sites in Singapore, and is said to be one of the leading solar energy players in the country.
Added Ms Lynette Leong, Chief Sustainability Officer for CapitaLand Group: “CapitaLand is committed to growing our business in a sustainable manner, and this initiative is an example that sustainability can create value-add propositions.”
“Following CapitaLand’s recent integration with Ascendas-Singbridge, we can now leverage a wider network of properties to contribute meaningfully towards sustainability. We are also exploring the use of Renewable Energy Certificates resulting from the excess energy generated by the solar panels installed at the six properties to offset the carbon emissions from CapitaLand’s corporate operations at its Singapore headquarters in Capital Tower and Galaxis. We will further review opportunities within our enlarged global portfolio to deploy clean energy technologies to power our real estate operations.”