Residents of Singapore can hope for cheaper and cleaner electricity as the largest renewable energy provider promises to lower prices as the government is expected to fully liberalise the energy sector next year. People can also buy clean energy with a touch of their fingertips using a mobile app.
Sunseap, the largest renewable energy provider in the city, will offer a variety of price plans to suit households of varying sizes and energy needs.
Sharing the plans with Singapore based newspaper Today, Frank Phuan, managing director of Sunseap, said, “Just like a telco plan with talktime minutes, we will offer … for instance a two-year plan, with a set amount of energy units according to your needs. If households can’t finish these units, it could be rolled over to the following month.”
The company is already in talks with telecommunication firms and banks on possible tie-ups for consumers to pay for electricity through their telco or credit card bills. It plans to start marketing its price plans at the end of the year.
Consumers also have the option for hybrid plans, which will essentially be a mix of traditional and alternative energy. “They would be able to choose to, for instance, set 20 per cent of their energy needs to be served by alternative energy, with 80 per cent still met by traditional energy,” said Phuan.
The mobile app of the company will enable consumers to sign up for energy plans, and track their previous month’s usage.
Currently, there are 24 licensed electricity retailers — including Sunseap — in Singapore, based on the Energy Market Authority website. The number has jumped by almost double since 2015 when Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) S Iswaran announced the timeline of the full liberalisation.
The company Sunseap has already bagged several big solar-leasing contracts including technology giant Apple and the Housing and Development Board (HDB). In 2015, it landed a contract with Apple to supply clean energy for its operations in South-East Asia, including for its offices and the upcoming Apple Store in Singapore. The company has also been awarded a few tenders by the HDB to install solar panels on the rooftops of housing blocks.
Sunseap is set to deliver 200 megawatts to its customers by the end of next year.