Forum: Encourage private properties to generate solar power

I refer to the letter “Make solar panels a must for newly built or purchased landed property”, Jan 7.

I support the notion of using all possible avenues to pursue solar power as a viable alternative energy source in Singapore.

Certainly, privately owned properties can be encouraged to install solar power generation systems, provided regulatory policies and practices support them. In my personal experience, however, this is not the case.

After spending a considerable amount of money to install such a system in my home recently, I found that the kWh rating applied to excess electricity I sold to the grid was less than half of what I was paying to buy from the grid.

Another issue is that there is a different – and less favourable – treatment for sale of electricity to the grid if the household is a subscriber to an electricity retailer, as opposed to directly from SP, which is the party that gives the credit for electricity sold to the grid.

With Singapore’s plan to import solar power from other countries to achieve its sustainability goals, should it not also put in place supportive policies and practices to encourage more private installations of solar power generation systems in the country?

Environmental sustainability needs to be a whole-of-nation effort.

Gerard Tan Boon Heng