PR90496

SHENZHEN, China, July 7, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

The market for solar energy is heating up worldwide, with more and more

countries joining the Race to Zero, "a global campaign to rally leadership and

support from businesses, cities, regions, [and] investors for a healthy,

resilient, zero carbon recovery," to directly quote the United Nations. This is

a concerted, global effort to fight against climate change. Singapore, a small

and resource-scarce city-state, is no exception, and the island is now home to

one of the world's largest offshore floating Photovoltaic (PV) farms, a 5

MW-peak project that's been deployed in the Straits of Johor.

Developed by Sunseap Group, a solar energy solutions provider in Singapore, the

five-hectare sea-based solar plant is equivalent in size to five soccer fields.

With 13,312 solar panels, 40 inverters, and more than 30,000 floats, it's

estimated to produce up to 6,022,500 kWh of energy per year, supplying enough

power for 1250 four-room public housing flats on the island and offsetting an

estimated 4258 tons of carbon dioxide.

Solar PV: A Natural Next Step for Singapore to Tackle Climate Change

In 2021, the Singapore government announced the Singapore Green Plan 2030. This

nationwide initiative to advance Singapore's national agenda on sustainable

development followed on from its announcement in 2020 that Singapore will aim

to halve its peak greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The vision is to achieve

net-zero emissions by 2050, but this can only be reached if the nation

significantly reduces its reliance on fossil fuels. Finding alternative methods

to generate electricity is therefore essential, as natural gas is responsible

for 97% of electricity generation in Singapore.

Restricted by its small size, Singapore lacks access to natural and renewable

energy sources such as wind and hydroelectric power. However, located almost on

the equator, Singapore draws a high average annual solar irradiance. Simply

put, it gets a lot of sun. As such, one of the key targets under the Green Plan

2030 is to quadruple solar energy deployment to 1.5 GW-peak by 2025, with

further plans to reach 2 GW-peak by 2030.

However, for Singapore to achieve such ambitious goals and unlock the true

potential of green solar PV, it must turn to state-of-the-art technologies.

Unfavorable Conditions Demand Reinforced Technology

Singapore's spatial constraints led Sunseap to look offshore, to the open seas,

as a viable alternative for renewable energy, ultimately deploying the PV

system in coastal waters. In doing so, Sunseap also achieved another milestone:

constructing an undersea cable system connecting the floating platform to the

mainland, creating a 22 KV electrical distribution network.

Unlike inland water bodies, the open sea is subject to a range of conditions

and is prone to change, from fluctuations in temperature and rough swells to

the corrosive nature of saltwater. Such unfavorable conditions, combined with

the biofouling commonly found in warm tropical waters — where microorganisms,

plants, algae, and small animals accumulate on surfaces — can potentially

accelerate the degradation of PV system components, such as inverters.

By tapping into its expertise in integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and

the cloud, Huawei introduces the latest Information and Communications

Technology (ICT) into PV equipment to optimize power generation. Sunseap

selected Huawei to supply its field-proven smart string inverters — Huawei

SUN2000-90KTL-H2 — to make the floating solar farm more efficient, safer, and

more reliable.

"We are honored to be selected by Sunseap, a Singapore solar energy solutions

provider, to provide industry-leading solar inverters for one of the world's

largest offshore floating-PV projects," said Bruce Li, Managing Director of the

Huawei Asia-Pacific Enterprise Digital Power Business. "As an expert in

integrating digital and power electronics technologies, Huawei is committed to

helping people and industries worldwide benefit from clean solar energy with

its innovative Smart PV solutions, accelerating the transition to renewable

energy. We look forward to working closely with Sunseap and contributing to

Singapore's Green Plan 2030."

Powering Singapore's "Green Plan" with Smart PV Solutions

Huawei inverters have already contributed toward generating gigawatts of

electricity across utility solar power systems worldwide, demonstrating the

company's ability to operate successfully at any scale and under any

conditions. In addition, the inverters have undergone a series of tests for

salt corrosion and heat dissipation, demonstrating their resilience to harsh

environments and temperatures ranging from -55 degrees C to 80 degrees C. By

deploying Huawei inverters, Sunseap has been able to streamline the Operations

and Maintenance (O&M) process of the floating platform, as well as prevent rust

and general material wear and tear.

Besides the performance benefits, a modular design ensures that deployment is

fast and easy, with minimal adjustments required onsite. Such ease of

deployment was another critical differentiator that led Sunseap to select

Huawei as its technology partner.

Shawn Tan, Vice President of Engineering at Sunseap, said: "The portability of

Huawei's string inverters was a key feature as it allowed us to install the

inverters directly onto the floating platform, next to the PV panels. This

eliminated the need for a Direct Current (DC) cable hose and DC combiner boxes,

reducing costs and deployment times. Owing to the unique design of the

inverters, heat is dissipated more efficiently, increasing the overall

reliability of the entire solar PV system."

By implementing Huawei's smart string inverters, Sunseap has also streamlined

the O&M process and its engineers are now able to conveniently conduct daily

routine checks remotely. Wilson Tsen, Manager of Business Development and

Project Management at Sunseap, commented: "Thanks to Huawei's Smart PV Solution

and its intelligent O&M platform, we are able to carry out routine inspection

and servicing of the plant equipment, the floats, and the mooring lines with

greater convenience and ease. Huawei's technology is simply a game-changer: not

only can we diagnose plant issues remotely, but we can also troubleshoot

without having to be physically onsite."

The completion of this project and the time it took to get the grid connected

will hopefully serve as a blueprint for other land-scarce and densely populated

countries in the region to roll out similar initiatives.

Frank Phuan, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sunseap, remarked:

"The Green Plan from the Singapore government is a strong commitment against

climate change and the offshore floating 5 MW-peak plant that we have here is

just a small step forward on the path to carbon neutrality. I hope, in the

future, Sunseap and Huawei will continue to contribute to the clean energy

landscape here in Singapore."

Source: Huawei

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