Summary Draft #2

 According to the article ‘Go-Ahead Singapore rolls out 6-month trial of public buses with solar panels ', Kok (2021) lightweight and slim solar panels are being installed on buses by Go-Ahead Singapore to charge their batteries instead of depending on an alternator.

The panels which "weigh less than 20 kg, 1.6mm-thick, flexible and shatterproof" are implemented on buses for the time in Singapore. They produce 1,000 watts of power and are predicted to save 1,400 liters of fuel yearly, cutting 3.7 tonnes of carbon emissions. 

Kok mentions that the panels are evaluated based on their capacity to increase fuel economy, absorb sunlight, and work at higher temperatures and after regular cleaning as part of a trial lasting half a year.

According to the article, the managing director of Go-Ahead Singapore, Andrew Thomson, expects the panels are predicted to do better in Singapore than in the United Kingdom where the data was originally based due to the sunny, hot and humid climate. Thomson also mentions the possibility of fitting the panels on electric buses if the expected savings and benefits are met. 

The company expects to regain the money spent on trial in four years from saving fuel. 

These buses are a testament to the benefits that come with utilizing solar panels. Solar panels should be essential in creating a sustainable future in Singapore by reducing carbon emissions, being space-efficient and generally affordable.

 

Kok, Y (2021) Go-Ahead Singapore rolls out 6-month trial of

public buses with solar panels. THE STRAITS TIMES. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/first-public-buses-with-solar-panels-hit-the-road-in-six-month-trial-by-go-ahead