Aug 7 2010
The Energy Market Authority (EMA) of Singapore has announced its plans to simplify the rules related to providing incentives to industrial, business and commercial establishments that utilize solar power at the work place.
According to the new proposal, EMA will provide credits to the commercial enterprises for the amount of solar power they produce, and transfer to the national grid. But EMA is planning to restrict this benefit, only to those commercial units that have installed less than one megawatt solar electric power units. EMA has sought for the views of the industry regarding the proposed changes. Under the currently prevailing rules, business enterprises do not require a license from EMA, for producing solar power below 10 MW capacities. However it is mandatory for the companies, to have wholesalers license and adhere to the prevailing rules, if the companies seek national grid connectivity to trade extra units produced.
For encouraging the use of solar energy, EMA is permitting individual households equipped with solar power, to transfer the produced excess power to the grid in exchange of power credits. Such simplified arrangement was made available only to small household units with a clear knowledge, that any excess power transferred to the grid will not alter the power utility market. Such households were exempted from registering with EMC, and received their bills after adjusting the grid credits.
The Housing & Development Board (HDB) introduced a scheme last July to install solar panels over 30 public housing blocks in six precincts for large scale solar energy harvesting at an estimated investment of S$2.3 million. This plan when fully implemented will meet the electric power requirements of around 3000 flats and save a whopping amount of S$40,000 every year on power costs.
Source: http://www.ema.gov.sg