Space-constrained Singapore is taking green energy to the next level by moving offshore and over the ocean instead.

One of the world's larger offshore solar panel

Local sustainable energy provider Sunseap Group is developing an offshore solar panel system.

The five hectare system will be installed to the north of Woodlands Waterfront Park along the Strait of Johor. Roughly the size of five football fields, it stands to be one of the world's larger offshore floating solar panel.

Here's an artist's impression of the solar panel floating above the water's surface to the left of the image:

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Under ideal conditions, the system is predicted to be able to generate five MW-peak per day.

The entire system is capable of generating 6,388MW of renewable energy annually, equivalent to the amount of energy powering around 1,250 four-room flats, reported The Straits Times (ST).

With solar power, the system can also help to reduce 2,600 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year.

It is set to be completed by 2019.

Finding the ideal location

According to Sunseap's project manager Tan Ye Ting, scouring for an ideal location to install the system was not easy.

The ideal site had to be close to shore in a more sheltered area so the panels would not be "battered by strong waves", and had to be accessible for checks and repairs.

Since the project was conceived in 2015, two years were spent searching for the right location, as certain areas were "not suitable because of issues such as security and environmental concerns."

The final location along the Strait of Johor was chosen due to its proximity to the Causeway where maritime activity is lesser and waters are calmer.

The system will be anchored to the 14m-deep seabed with cables and 50 concrete blocks.

Not just the ocean, but reservoirs too

According to another ST article, more than 95 per cent of Singapore's energy comes from the burning of natural gas.

While more sustainable than fossil fuels, solar still provides an infinitely more sustainable alternative.

Considering how land-scarce Singapore is, installing solar panels on rooftops can only go so far. Utilising water bodies as a substitute is one way to circumvent the country's natural limitations.

There have already been solar panel systems deployed over four reservoirs in Singapore.

As of May 2018, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) called a tender to carry out engineering studies to implement solar panels on the surfaces of Bedok and Seletar reservoirs, adding on the two studies already being carried out at Tengah and Upper Pierce reservoirs.

Water quality and aquatic wildlife are allegedly unaffected, reported PUB.

Top photo via Sunseap.com