Singapore stands at an inflection point in its energy history. For decades, the nation has depended almost entirely on imported natural gas for electricity generation — a strategic vulnerability for an island city-state with no fossil fuel reserves. But in 2026, a new energy architecture is taking shape: one powered by solar, supported by storage, and driven by a population that understands energy independence is not a luxury but a necessity.
This guide maps the complete landscape of solar energy in Singapore as it stands today — the government policies accelerating adoption, the incentives available to homeowners, the market forces driving costs down, and the trajectory that could make Singapore one of the most solar-powered nations per capita in the world.
Singapore’s Energy Challenge
Understanding why solar matters requires understanding Singapore’s unique energy position:
- 95% import dependence: Virtually all electricity comes from imported natural gas, piped from Malaysia and Indonesia or shipped as LNG from global markets
- Zero fossil fuel reserves: No domestic oil, gas, or coal
- Constrained land area: 733 km² limits large-scale solar farms, making rooftop and building-integrated solar the primary deployment pathway
- High solar irradiance: Singapore receives 1,580 kWh/m² per year of solar radiation — among the highest in Southeast Asia despite cloud cover
- Rising electricity prices: Retail rates have increased 25–40% since 2020, making solar increasingly attractive financially
The fundamental question is not whether Singapore should go solar, but how fast it can deploy solar to reduce vulnerability and lock in energy costs before the next supply shock.
Green Plan 2030: The Government’s Solar Roadmap
The Singapore Green Plan 2030 is the most ambitious environmental strategy in the nation’s history. For solar energy, the key targets are:
- 2 GWp of solar by 2030: A fivefold increase from 2023 levels, requiring aggressive deployment across residential, commercial, and public buildings
- 1.5 GWp on rooftops: The majority of new capacity will come from building rooftops — homes, HDB blocks, commercial properties, and industrial buildings
- Solar on all suitable HDB blocks: The Housing Development Board is rolling out solar on public housing rooftops, with revenue shared with residents
- 80% green buildings by 2030: New and existing buildings must meet higher sustainability standards, with solar a key compliance pathway
To hit these targets, Singapore needs approximately 300–400 MW of new solar capacity installed every year through 2030. This requires tens of thousands of new residential and commercial installations annually — a massive opportunity for homeowners to participate in the nation’s green transition.
Financial Incentives and Policies
Net Energy Rebate (NER)
The Net Energy Rebate is Singapore’s primary mechanism for compensating solar owners who export surplus electricity to the grid. When your solar system generates more than your home consumes, the excess flows to the grid and you receive credits on your electricity bill at the prevailing low-tension tariff rate.
While the buy-back rate is lower than the retail rate, NER still provides meaningful value — typically covering 20–40% of a household’s total generation value. Combined with direct self-consumption savings, total system economics are strongly positive.
Net Metering
Net metering allows residential solar systems to offset grid consumption with solar generation within each billing period. Your meter effectively runs backward when you export solar — though settlement is at the wholesale rate rather than the retail rate. SP Services handles billing automatically for registered solar installations.
EMA Solar Generation Scheme
The Energy Market Authority (EMA) oversees the regulatory framework for solar installations. For residential systems under 1 MWac (virtually all home installations), the process is streamlined: your installer handles EMA registration, SP Services metering, and grid connection — typically within 4–8 weeks of installation completion.
Budget 2026 Provisions
The Singapore Budget 2026 included provisions that further support solar adoption, including enhanced green financing terms for residential solar and expanded incentives for buildings that achieve high Green Mark ratings with on-site solar generation.
Financing Innovation: $0 Upfront Models
Perhaps the most impactful development is the emergence of $0 upfront solar subscriptions. Companies like Sunollo offer complete solar systems with no capital outlay — homeowners pay a fixed monthly amount (from $99/month) that is typically less than their current electricity bill. This eliminates the primary barrier to adoption: the SGD 14,500–28,000 upfront cost of a purchased system.
For a complete overview of all financing pathways, read our Singapore solar financing options guide.
The Market Landscape
Residential Solar
Singapore’s residential solar market is growing at 25–35% annually. Landed homes (detached, semi-detached, and terraced houses) are the primary market, with typical systems ranging from 5–35 kWp. Landed property solar adoption is accelerating as homeowners recognise both the savings potential and the property value uplift.
Condominium and HDB adoption is growing through community solar schemes, where building-wide installations benefit all residents. Read our HDB solar guide for public housing options.
Commercial and Industrial Solar
Singapore’s commercial rooftops represent the largest untapped solar potential. Warehouses, retail centres, offices, and industrial buildings offer vast roof areas with fewer shade complications. Commercial solar is increasingly driven by ESG commitments, Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), and the bottom-line reality that solar electricity costs less than grid power.
Sunollo’s GreenStores programme targets retail and commercial buildings, offering businesses the same $0 upfront model that has proven successful in the residential market.
BIPV (Building-Integrated Photovoltaics)
The next frontier is BIPV technology — solar cells integrated directly into building materials like facades, windows, roof tiles, and louvres. BIPV transforms entire building surfaces into power generators, dramatically increasing deployable solar area beyond just rooftops. Sunollo Pro offers four BIPV products: Cloud Cover, Sunshine Tiles, PV Glass, and Stellar Louver.
The Renewable Energy Landscape
Solar’s Dominant Role
Solar is the only scalable renewable energy source for Singapore. The city-state lacks meaningful wind resources (average wind speeds too low for commercial turbines), has no hydroelectric potential, and limited biomass. Geothermal is being explored but remains decades from commercial viability.
This means solar must do the heavy lifting for Singapore’s clean energy transition. Every rooftop, every building facade, every available surface becomes potential clean energy infrastructure.
Regional Interconnection
Singapore is pursuing electricity imports from regional solar and wind farms through the ASEAN Power Grid. Projects include a 100 MW solar import from Australia via undersea cable and cross-border power trading with Malaysia, Laos, and Indonesia. While these imports will supplement domestic solar, they do not replace the need for local generation — true energy security requires domestic capacity.
Energy Storage at Scale
Grid-scale battery storage is being deployed to manage solar intermittency. EMA has licensed several utility-scale storage projects that smooth the variable output of distributed solar. At the household level, home batteries allow individual homes to store and time-shift their solar generation — a technology that is rapidly becoming mainstream.
Environmental Impact
Solar energy’s environmental benefits extend beyond carbon reduction:
- Carbon reduction: Every kWh of solar displaces approximately 0.4 kg of CO2 from gas-fired generation. A typical 10 kWp home system avoids 5–6 tonnes of CO2 annually.
- Air quality: Solar generation produces zero particulate matter, NOx, or SOx emissions
- Water conservation: Unlike thermal generation, solar panels require no cooling water
- Waste heat reduction: Fossil fuel plants release enormous waste heat. Distributed solar reduces thermal pollution in surrounding areas.
At national scale, achieving the 2 GWp target would avoid approximately 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 annually — equivalent to removing 260,000 cars from Singapore’s roads.
The Vision: A Solar-Powered Singapore
Imagine Singapore in 2035: every landed home has solar panels. Every HDB block generates clean electricity shared by its residents. Commercial buildings produce their own power during business hours. BIPV facades turn the city’s skyline into a distributed power plant. Home batteries store daytime solar for evening use. Electric vehicles charge on rooftop sunshine.
This is not utopian thinking. Every technology required exists today. The economics are already favourable. Government policy is aligned. The only missing ingredient is participation — the collective decision by Singapore’s homeowners, businesses, and communities to claim their share of the sun.
Sunollo exists to make this participation effortless. $0 upfront, savings from month one, a 25-year warranty, and the knowledge that your system is part of something larger than any single household: a nation securing its own energy future.
Getting Started
Whether you are a homeowner considering solar for the first time, a business evaluating commercial installation, or an architect exploring BIPV for your next project, the first step is the same: understand your potential.
Use the Sunollo Savings Calculator to estimate your solar generation and savings, or book a free consultation with our team. We will assess your property, explain your options, and design a system that fits your needs and your budget.
The sun shines on every corner of Singapore. It is time we put it to work.
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