Singapore has a large population but little usable area for solar panels and wind turbines. It does, however, have a lot of open ocean to the south in the Singapore Strait. It seeks sustainable, consistent, and predictable renewable energy to fuel its economy.
A research will be conducted by Keppel Infrastructure, the National University of Singapore, and Nanyang Technological University to evaluate if those waters may be utilized to develop a hybrid renewable energy system for country that incorporates offshore wind, floating solar, tidal, and wave power.
The memorandum of understanding for the study was signed on Thursday at the Asia Clean Energy Summit 2022, which is part of the Singapore International Energy Week held at Marina Bay Sands.
If the concept is found to be practicable, the three groups want to build and install a pilot system with at least 100 MW of scalable renewable energy capacity.
The Singapore system would be made up of modular floating solar platforms that could be expanded to include other renewable energy technologies including ocean wave energy conversion devices, tidal energy turbines and paddles, and wind turbines.
The research will look into an offshore test site in the waters surrounding Singapore. According to the three parties, by utilizing these complementary energy systems, continuous power production may be given around the clock while minimizing the amount of sea area necessary for operations.
If this trifecta is successful in supplying the island country with reliable renewable energy, the “all of the above” approach to clean energy may find a new audience.
Reference- Clean Technica, Straits Times, Interesting Engineering, Popular Mechanics