Coming up: First 'zero energy' building

July 5, 2008

Coming up: First 'zero energy' building

Solar panels to provide for BCA Academy's electricity needs

By Tania Tan

INSTEAD of gobbling up electricity from Singapore's power grid, one local building could soon be able to fend for itself.

Planners unveiled yesterday details of renovations to a Braddell Road research institute that would make it the country's first zero-energy building.

Officials hope to cover the government-run BCA Academy with half a football field's worth of solar panels, said Professor Lee Siew Eang, the project's head researcher.

The ultra-efficient institute, scheduled for completion next year, would also use about one-third the power of an average building and be able to survive on its own electricity.

'Hopefully, with a little help from heaven, there won't be too many rainy days, and we'll have our zero-energy building,' said Prof Lee, who works at the National University of Singapore.

The building would be at the forefront of a trend to turn buildings into batteries, thus reducing power consumption and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Officials hope the homes and offices of the future will be able to power themselves, said the president of the Institution of Engineers Singapore, Ms Lee Bee Wah.

But the difficulty is two-fold. The buildings must be energy efficient, and affordable sources of renewable energy - like solar power - must be developed, said Ms Lee, who is also an MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC.

Simply using renewable energy without improving efficiency would be futile.

'We cannot just plaster solar panels, as that will make costs skyrocket,' said Prof Lee.

Daylight, natural ventilation and visitor- tracking systems will be used to improve energy efficiency, said Prof Lee.

Green buildings are key in ensuring economic growth, environmental sustainability and a high quality of life for urban dwellers, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last week.

The BCA building is not the only one heeding his call.

Under a $10 million plan by the National Environment Agency, manufacturers and contractors receive co-funding for doing an energy audit on their business.

As of last month, 107 applications to the three-year-old scheme were approved, with building projects accounting for more than 70 per cent.

If implemented, the projects could save a whopping 327,000MWh annually, or $28 million in power bills.

The Government is considering six bids for the project, tentatively scheduled for completion by next year.

taniat@sph.com.sg



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