SINGAPORE - Rooftop solar panels will cover 37 substations islandwide and generate enough energy to power more than 4,500 four-room Housing Board (HDB) flats a year.

By 2025, the green initiative by utility firm SP Group will deliver up to 21,000 megawatt-hour (MWh) of renewable electricity into Singapore’s power network annually.

The solar panels will have a total installed capacity of 15.7 megawatt-peak (MWp), SP said on Tuesday.

The installation will be done in three phases. In the first phase, six substations will have a combined solar power capacity of 7.1MWp by next year.

The second phase is set to be completed in 2024 across 12 substations harnessing a combined capacity of 6MWp. The final phase involving 19 substations with a combined capacity of 2.6MPw will be completed by the end of 2025.

SP is determined to leverage its substations and roof spaces to contribute to Singapore’s transition to clean energy, said its group chief executive Stanley Huang.

“We will continue to work closely with the Energy Market Authority to optimise our existing electricity infrastructure and assets to provide reliable and efficient electricity supply, and to support developments to meet Singapore’s sustainability targets,” he added.

The authority has set a target of installing at least 2 gigawatt-peak of solar capacity by 2030.

To meet the target, Singapore’s first 17.6MWp solar farm by Sembcorp was opened in May. This temporary facility in Tuas contributes enough energy to power about 4,700 four-room HDB flats a year.

In addition, an initiative by HDB and the Economic Development Board will see the installation of solar panels on 1,290 HDB blocks by 2025. These will have a capacity of 380MWp, generating enough energy to power 95,000 four-room HDB flats.