The proposed solution is to adopt the use of solar panels as shelters at locations that has a wide open-spaced area. This can be easily implemented on areas such as rooftop of multi-storey carparks where it is usually un-sheltered and has intense sunlight present. The Housing and Development Board (HDB) can partner with Sunseap to build solar shelters at rooftops of multi-storey carparks where there is a vast amount of sunlight. Furthermore, there will not be any signs of shadow overcasting over the rooftop, as rooftop multi-storey carparks are built in an open-concept environment. Though there may be certain rooftop carparks which may consists of parks, solar shelters could then be added alongside pavements, serving as covered walkways for parkgoers.
The plan of action to improve the current situation is to firstly, source out viable location where there is immense amount of sunlight, for solar roofs to operate at their highest capabilities. To elaborate, the roofs must not be covered by trees growing above them, or nearby blocks which have the potential to overcast shadows over the solar roofs. Not only will the overgrown tress will cast shadows over the solar roofs, branches or leaves may drop at a high level, damaging the panels.
The main purpose of implementation solar roofs will act as alternative renewable source of energy for Singapore to achieve itself in being an eco-friendly city. Solar shelter integrates seamlessly with existing structures and allows us to reap the benefits of solar energy without taking up ground space. Having solar shelters will not only harness the energy of the sun, but also provide a shelter for citizens who have cars parked at the top level of multi-storey carparks.
Solar shelter derives clean energy from the sun. Installation of solar shelters help combat greenhouse gases and makes Singapore less reliant on fossil fuels. Burning of fossil fuels not only emit harmful gases that is a major cause of global climate change, it also pollutes the air which citizens of Singapore live in.
Fossil fuel is a finite resource and due to this, prices of fossil fuel are constantly increasing and may even fluctuate exponentially within a short period of time. Therefore, Singapore must source for a renewable source of energy to be able to be independent on fossil fuels.
Evaluation
As solar panel is dependent on the Sun, the efficiency of the solar panels drops when it is cloudy or rainy which will have an influence on the energy system. Besides that, solar panels also cannot be harnessed during the night, which is practically half of everyday. To combat this, we could use solar batteries. Solar batteries work by storing excess solar electricity instead of routing it back into the grid. Thus, during the day, if the solar panels harnessed more solar power than required, it will then be used to charge up the solar batteries. During days where it is cloudy, rainy or during the night, the solar panel will not be able to harness enough solar energy to sustain the electricity needs, it will then draw from the stored energy from the batteries to meet the electricity needs.
The initial cost of solar panels is relatively high therefore stakeholders might be unwilling to invest in it. The long-term benefits of having a solar shelter outweighs the initial shortcomings in terms of cost. Solar shelters have a low maintenance and have an average life span of 25 years. Also, a single solar panel can produce an average of 275 watts of power and a fluorescent tube that is typically used to light up carparks requires only an average of 40 watts of power. Therefore, having solar shelter installed will reduce if not eliminate the usage of electricity from the grid. These helps save on electricity bill in the long run.
As the above has stated, this solution is a viable option that will be of benefit to HDB.
The limitations of this solution are that, there must be at an open – aired multi-storey carpark ‘s rooftop. The rooftop must have an immense amount of sunlight throughout the day with little to no over-shadowing from nearby building or tall trees. This is to maximise the efficiency of the solar panels.
