Phoenix Solar Malaysia Changi Airport Budget Terminal
Flying high with Solar
Changi Airport installed a 250 kWp solar PV system on the roof of its Budget Terminal (BT) as part of its continuing effort to mitigate climate change and make Changi Airport more environmentally friendly. The PV system is partially funded by the Singapore government under the Clean Energy Research and Test-bedding (CERT) program launched by the Economic Development Board and the Clean Energy Program Office. Changi Airport now enjoys a reduction of at least 320’000 kWh from its annual energy bills.
Changi Airport is Southeast Asia’s first commercial airport with a PV power plant, and also the first commercial application of First Solar modules in Singapore. For this project, Phoenix Solar used 127 kWp of First Solar’s thin film solar modules and 123 kWp of REC’s polycrystalline solar modules.
The modules were installed on the north and south faces of the Budget Terminal roof using Phoenix Solar’s Tecto-Sun mounting system. They cover a rooftop area of about 2,500 m2. Phoenix Solar also installed sensors to capture environmental data such as ambient temperature, module temperature and insolation – all of which feed into the National Solar Data Repository as part of Singapore’s ongoing research to proliferate best practices and
know-how in solar system integration.
A custom designed public display within the Terminal Building shows the amount of energy generated and CO2 avoided by the PV system. This promotes international awareness about solar PV and Changi Airport’s commitment to responsible aviation.
| Rated system power | 0.25 MWp |
|---|---|
| Annual energy yield | approx. 320 MWh |
| Avoided CO2 p.a. | approx. 160 tons* |
| Modules | First Solar FS275, REC 220 |
| Inverter | SMA SMC11000TL |
| Construction type | Aluminium structures on metal roof |
| Tilt angle | 3° slope |
* Based on typical 0.5 tons CO2/MWh from gas fired power plants