Lights-out for Earth, solar-on for home

Just as the term Sunny Singapore suggests, the year-round sunshine on the island-nation presents opportunities beyond hot days and beach trips.  

The abundance of sun makes solar energy the most promising renewable energy source. To achieve the national goal of reaching net-zero by 2050, Singapore has been accelerating efforts to lower carbon emissions by adopting renewable energy sources and increasing the deployment of solar power.  

One of the focus points of the recent Earth Hour Festival held in Singapore was raising awareness of the importance of renewable energy for a more sustainable planet. The event was joined by Huawei alongside the residents of Singapore’s West Coast to showcase initiatives that contribute to a greener environment. 

The carnival was held on March 22 at West Coast Community Centre, hosted by Singapore’s Minister for National Development and Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration and Adviser to West Coast GRC GROs, Desmond Lee. The event fostered collaboration between the public and private sectors, working toward accelerating the transition to renewable energy.  

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Solar energy in sunny Singapore  

In demonstrating the benefits of solar energy for homes, Huawei presented its residential smart photovoltaic (PV) solutions, FusionSolar PV, with its partner JJ-LAPP.  

The solutions bridge the energy gap by minimising power outage losses compared to traditional power sources, contributing to more sustainable energy use with zero-carbon energy generation.  

Given that the power is generated through solar energy, these solutions have the potential of eliminating up to 2.6 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually per household, which is in line with Singapore’s Green Plan 2030 for sustainable development. 

The economic advantages that FusionSolar PV offers also make these solutions more attractive for residents, as they can adopt solar at zero upfront costs and enjoy yearly cost savings of S$4,000 per year for a typical landed property thanks to a 25-year system design life for a residential PV system.  

“Through the sharing, we aim to contribute to a greener environment and inspire more residents to embrace renewable energy solutions,” said Huawei International’s CEO, Maxi Wang.  

Commitment to accelerate energy transition 

Presenting the sustainable energy options at the West Coast Earth Hour, Huawei said it would continue to “champion sustainability and support of Singapore’s Green Plan 2030”, Wang added.  

He shared that Huawei has been advocating for renewable energy solutions and supporting efforts through strategic partnerships to help meet sustainability goals.  

For instance, Huawei’s smart string inverter solution was deployed to support EDP Renewables APAC’s offshore floating PV farm on the north coast of Singapore.  

These floating solar systems were essential for land-scarce places like Singapore that use these areas to access renewable energy. The solar panels are placed on water bodies and have the capacity to capture more energy given the larger surface areas and lack of obstruction from the sun.  

Around the world, Huawei has supported using technology to target environmental concerns, such as empowering nature conservation groups to protect rainforests from deforestation and logging using solar-powered acoustic sensors in the forest.  

Internally, Huawei continues to take action to increase energy efficiency and accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.  

Since 2020, the company has increased its adoption of renewable energy for operations by 40 per cent, signalling the commitment to combat climate change on all levels, shared Wang.