HDB to Bring Solar Energy to Over 8,000 Blocks through SolarNova Programme
With the launch of seventh SolarNova tender, HDB is on track to meet the target of 540MWp of solar PV capacity by 2030.
The Housing & Development Board (HDB) has called the seventh solar leasing tender under the SolarNova programme. The SolarNova programme, led jointly by HDB and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), accelerates the deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in Singapore and helps drive the growth of Singapore’s solar industry. It is also an integral part of the HDB Green Towns Programme (GTP), which aims to make HDB towns more sustainable and liveable. Including this SolarNova tender, HDB has committed a total solar capacity of 380 MWp for about 8,400 HDB blocks. This is equivalent to powering 95,000 4-room flats with solar energy.
In 2019, HDB announced a new solar target of 540 MWp by 2030, after having achieved its earlier solar target of 220 MWp. This new target could potentially generate 648 GWh of solar energy annually, contributing towards the national solar targets of 1.5 gigawatt-peak (GWp) by 2025, and 2 GWp by 2030 as set out under the Singapore Green Plan.
The latest SolarNova tender, with a solar capacity of 75 megawatt-peak (MWp), aggregates public sector demand for the installation of solar panels across 1,290 HDB blocks and 99 government sites. HDB has progressively rolled out batches of tenders over the years, so as to reap economies of scale and lower costs from the installation of solar panels at neighbouring blocks. These are also subject to tender timelines.
