SINGAPORE - Solar panels will soon power 18 sites on Sentosa, including well-loved attractions in Universal Studios Singapore (USS), to make the resort island more environmentally friendly.
These panels will be installed on the roofs of attractions such as the Revenge Of The Mummy roller coaster, among others.
The sites were selected based on factors such as sufficient sunlight, renovation plans of buildings and whether they would obstruct guest experience.
In a statement released on Wednesday (June 15), Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) said these installations mark the first major milestone in the corporation’s aim of powering 10 per cent of the island with renewable energy.
When the panels are fully installed by 2023, SDC said it expects an overall reduction of carbon emissions equivalent to that generated by 60,000 hotel rooms a year.
The panels will also make up 1 per cent to 2 per cent of Sentosa’s total energy usage, compared with 2021, said SDC in response to queries from The Straits Times.
SDC divisional director of planning Lee Cheh Hsien said: “This is the first wave of large-scale solar installations in Sentosa, we have plans to install more solar panels in the coming years.”
More details will be shared when information is available, he added.
The statement added that SDC is also experimenting with other forms of renewable energy such as tidal energy and waste-to-energy generators to green its energy grid further.
This comes under SDC’s general commitment to net-zero emissions by 2030, as announced in its sustainability road map in 2021.
Under this road map, the corporation has pledged to implement a slew of measures such as investing in more renewable energy infrastructure and food recycling efforts.
On the other renewable energy alternatives being studied, the statement said: “Small-scale pilots are currently being explored with the view to scaling these solutions for mass deployment should the trials prove successful.”
The installation of panels on the roofs of 11 sites run by Resorts World Sentosa, such as USS rides and the Hard Rock Hotel, will begin this month.
Also, the tender to install panels at the seven sites managed by SDC, such as cable car stations and Beach station on the Sentosa monorail, will begin on Wednesday.
Even though these sites are of different sizes and have different tenure lengths, SDC said that the rights for each site will be consolidated into a single tender.
The aim is to make it more economically viable for vendors hoping to provide their service.
Chief executive officer of SDC Thien Kwee Eng said the corporation hopes that such site consolidation for the tender will set a good example for businesses to collaborate to create a better environment for sustainable investment.
She said: “Solar is one of the most viable renewable sources of energy for Sentosa and Singapore. Using this approach, the initiative will take us one step further towards being a sustainable leisure destination with a lower carbon footprint.”
