Al Amn Magazine # 161

37 MARCH 2023 than t h e u s u a l rooftop solar panels due to the reservoirs’ cooler environment. This setting also allows full sun exposure with no shading from trees or nearby buildings. Nonetheless, solar power plants do not guarantee a continuous power supply due to the occurrence of rainy and cloudy days. Thus, commercially usable storage remains essential. Sembcorp Industries announced that it is intensively looking for viable solutions and that it hopes to present them in the next one or two years. Interestingly, the floating solar facility was built with ecological viability in mind. Environmental consult ations a n d environmental impact studies were carried out prior to the c on s t ruc t i on . It was designed to produce minimal impacts on the overall water quality, plants and wildlife. In fact, two- thirds of the reservoir is untouched to allow wildlife to live normally and hunt for food. The design also incorporated additional aerators to balance oxygen levels in the reservoir. Ample gaps between solar panels were also maintained to allow proper airflow of sufficient sunlight to pass through the system. Comp r e h e n s i v e e nv i r onme n t a l m a n a g e m e n t and mitigation plans are also in place to ensure that all aspects are working in perfect h a r m o n y with the env i ronmen t . U l t i m a t e l y , solar radiation and ambient temperature are measured using drones. This technology ensures that imminent overheating can be recognized and prevented in good time. Increasing the efficiency of floating solar PV with PADCON float controller While solar panels have an average lifespan of 25 years, it is also susceptible to Potential Induced Degradation or PID effect. This PID results in reduced polarisation and current leakage that reduces the overall productivity of solar panels over time. Without PID protection, the degradation value is usually well over 0.25 per cent per year, with the losses adding up year after year. After ten years, a degradation of 2.5 per cent can be assumed. The high susceptibility to PID effect on floating solar panels has several causes: The humidity on the water is very high and the air is particularly humid which contributes to the development of a PID effect Normally the ground protects against the PID effect, but the risk to people on the water is too high, which is why grounding is completely dispensed with Generally, the higher the voltage, the higher the risk of PID. New plants, like the one in Singapore, work with a very high voltage of about 1500 V. Thankfully, there is a way to increase the efficiency of floating solar panels. PADCON introduces a modern technology that can solve PID problems with their PID Float Controller - it is a tried and tested PID solution that can significantly increase the PV efficiency of floating solar panels. By preventing the PID effect and the resulting increase in the output of a solar power plant, investors have an amortization period of between half a year and around two years. The Singapore Green Plan 2030 Singapore strongly envisions itself to be a low-carbon country and it is driven to further intensify its efforts towards sustainability. The expansion of solar energy production is an important pillar of the Singapore Green Plan 2030. With this facility, Singapore can slash about 32 kilotonnes of carbon emissions each year. Singapore targets to quadruple its solar energy output by 2025 despite the fact that Singapore has relatively little space available. Four solar PV projects are scheduled for completion this year, including the Lower Seletar Reservoir and Bedok Reservoir. Singapore is truly an impressive leader in terms of sustainability. It is continually transforming its city-state faster than most other countries and states. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that Singapore today is one of the solar- dense cities in the world and it shall continue to surprise the world with its sustainable and futuristic milestones.