Changi Airport Group (CAG) said it is installing Singapore's largest single-site solar photovoltaic (PV) system on all available rooftop areas across Changi's buildings as part of its long-term commitment to growing sustainably and combating climate change.

CAG noted that compared to regular commercial, industrial, or residential sites, deploying solar PV systems at the airport brings a unique set of challenges due to its 24/7 operations. 

The announcement said before installation can even start, careful planning is done to identify suitable lifting points at each building, taking into account the possible routes for heavy-duty vehicles and height restrictions.

The solar panels then had to be delivered in batches due to the limited storage space available onsite.

To add to the challenges, work can only be carried out at night during the off-peak hours between midnight and 5 am to minimize disruption to road traffic and airport operations.

 [Source: Changi Airport Group]

"For this project, a robust analysis had to be conducted to ensure that the panels would not pose glare and glint problems to air traffic controllers and pilots," CAG said.

It added that the analysis used a simulation to determine the amount of glare being generated from the solar panels, taking into account the location and heights of the roofs and control tower.

At the same time, it also ensured that there was no interference with any communications, navigation, & surveillance (CNS) or meteorological signals. 

Unlike typical projects, which only require an average of two to four weeks, the glare analysis of Changi's system took 12 weeks to complete due to the significantly larger area occupied by Changi's roofs compared to typical buildings in Singapore and the additional factors that had to be incorporated into the analysis.

The project is slated to be completed in early 2025, and the solar PV system on Changi's rooftops will have a capacity of 38 MWp, CAG said.