In 2016, Sunseap donated a solar system to Tanglin Academy, the largest tennis academy in Singapore, as part of its corporate social responsibility programme. This made Tanglin Academy the first local tennis centre to introduce clean energy practices.
Hoppecke’s energy storage solution will help Tanglin Academy further reduce its carbon footprint. Solar energy produced during the day can be stored and discharged on cloudy days or in the evenings to illuminate the Academy’s tennis courts.
The partnership will not only help Tanglin Academy utilise more clean energy but also reduce its reliance on its diesel generator which is currently used to supplement the solar energy generated from the solar panels on its premises. The Academy will be able to save on diesel costs and reduce the amount of diesel fumes and carbon dioxide generated during the day.
Mr Sherman Chong, Director of Hoppecke, said: “The hybrid energy system by Sunseap is an innovative solution that makes use of solar energy efficiently, while reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Our Hoppecke solar power battery range is an ideal complement to this system, and offers outstanding stability and long life span, even when the battery is partially charged.”
Mr Shawn Tan, Senior Manager of Special Projects at Sunseap Group, said: “Sunseap is pleased to collaborate with Hoppecke and Tanglin Academy to showcase our new energy storage and solar-diesel hybrid energy solution. We have been exploring ways to help clients save more money and reduce their carbon footprint, and we are very excited that we have implemented this solution.”
Mr Tan added that the partnership with Hoppecke will serve as a testbed for Sunseap to launch hybrid off-grid energy solutions on a commercial scale in the future. He noted that the enhanced solar system will help Tanglin Academy save more than 15 to 20 per cent of their energy costs and reduce their carbon footprint by over 8.3 tonnes per year.
Mr Elvin Chee, the owner of Tanglin Academy, added: “We are extremely pleased with this hybrid project as we now have less noise and pungent fumes from the diesel generators and this allows the children at our tennis lessons to focus better and enjoy fresher and cleaner air during their practice.”
Sunseap also works with enterprise development agency, Enterprise Singapore (previously IE Singapore and SPRING Singapore), to build its product development capabilities in micro grids and on test bedding projects.
“We are pleased to see this partnership between Sunseap, a homegrown SME, and Hoppecke, a multinational company, create an innovative and more efficient solar-and-diesel hybrid energy solution. This solution will enable Sunseap to meet the growing energy demand from off-grid users across regional markets. We wish to encourage more of such collaborative projects between SMEs and technology providers, which will help catalyse knowledge transfer, capability upgrading and product development,” said Mr Geoffrey Yeo, Director, Urban Solutions of Enterprise Singapore.”
Sunseap’s successful partnership with Hoppecke has already attracted the attention of potential clients. Sunseap’s Mr Tan shared that the company has seen interest from many parties in Southeast Asia keen to adopt off-grid clean energy or hybrid solutions, but on a much larger scale.
Sunseap is one of the biggest players in the solar energy industry in the region and its green solutions are fast gaining traction among companies and public institutions. Those who have signed up include Apple, Housing Development Board, Singapore American School, Singapore Cruise Centre, Jurong Port, ABB and Panasonic.
Outside of Singapore, the company has a pipeline of projects in Cambodia, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Australia.
