Summary Reader + Response Draft 2

According to Kok article, ”Go-Ahead Singapore rolls out a 6-month trial of public buses with solar panels” (2021), which will be running ultra-thin solar panels on buses in a six-month trial. The 1.6mm-thick, flexible and shatterproof panels are placed on the roof of two Man A22 euro 6 diesel-powered buses. The use of panels is expected to save 1400 litres of fuel. This is equivalent to 3-4% of fuel which translates to 3.7 tonnes of reduction in carbon emissions. These figures are based on data collected from a trial in Southampton. The trial will also assess the effectiveness of the panels.  According to Kok, due to Singapore’s tropical climate, the panels are expected to produce exceptional results. This will result in a greener and more efficient bus. Two buses have been qualified thus far and can be used on public road trials. The panels are also three times thinner than regular ones, making them ultra-lightweight. Kok concluded that Go-Ahead reckons to recover the cost in four years from the reduction in fuel consumption. 

In Singapore today, the high usage of diesel and other fuels in vehicles has caused high levels of air pollution. The installation of solar panels on buses make a positive impact on air quality by lowering carbon emissions and reducing fuel consumption, which contributes to an eco-friendly environment.

Firstly, the installation of solar panels on buses makes a positive impact on air quality by lowering carbon emissions. The solar panel absorbs sunlight to generate solar energy to produce electricity. During the process of converting solar energy, there is no fuel being burned. Hence, solar power provides a cleaner gas that is naturally replenished constantly and no natural gases such as carbon dioxide will be emitted. However, diesel buses will be powered up by diesel which will release a large amount of carbon dioxide into the air when burned. This leads to global warming which will harm the environment badly. Therefore, using solar power to produce electricity, powering up the electrical bus system and charging the automobile’s battery, resulting in lesser carbon footprints than diesel. In the article " S'pore Buses With Solar Panels Debut on 30 Mar, Paving The Way For Greener Public Transport", Seng(2021) stated that about 3.7 tonnes of carbon emission can be reduced from each bus. Therefore, solar power helps to reduce carbon emissions and save the environment by minimizing air pollution.

Secondly, the installation of solar panels on buses make a positive impact on air quality by reducing fuel consumption. Buses used diesel to generate energy to power functions such as air-conditioning and charge the bus batteries which will use up a certain amount of fuel. This helps to reduce the load on the alternator. During the operation of the bus, the batteries charged by solar energy will reduce the amount of diesel required, thus minimising the need for frequent refilling of diesel. Also, the solar panel will be expected to produce a large amount of renewable energy in Singapore’s sunny and tropical climates. In the article” FlixBus launches first long-distance bus equipped with solar panels”, Oudendijk(2020) stated that an average of 1.7 litres of diesel was saved per 100km, hence helping to reduce fuel consumption.

However, a disadvantage to installing solar panels on buses is the uncertain weather climates. With the changing weather, there is a shift in temperatures and conditions, especially during the monsoon or rainy seasons, the insufficient amount of sunlight will cause a lack of solar power. Solar power will not be able to provide electricity to the bus.

In conclusion, installing solar panels have many advantages to Singapore, by reducing air pollution that improves air quality to work towards an eco-friendly environment. According to Mohan (2020), Singapore aims to halve carbon emissions by 2050. The use of solar panels on buses can contribute to achieving the goal by reducing the carbon emission produced. The reason is people living in Singapore rely a lot on public transportation like buses if the use of solar panels can help to reduce carbon emissions. I strongly believed that a large amount of carbon emissions will be reduced that provide an eco-friendly environment.

Lee, J. (2021). 2 Go-Ahead S'pore buses fitted with solar panels in trial to charge batteries & reduce fuel usage. Mothership.sg.

https://mothership.sg/2021/03/2-go-ahead-spore-buses solarpanels/#:~:text=This%20electricity%20is%20used%20to,fuel%20usage%20and%20carbon%2

Mohan, M. (2020). Singapore targets to halve peak emissions by 2050, achieve net zero emissions 'as soon as viable' in second half of century. CNA.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/singapore-targets-halve-peak-emissions-2050-achieve-net-zero-emissions-soon-viable-second-half-century-1338776.

Oudendijk,J.(2020). Pilot project : FlixBus launches first long-distance bus equipped with solar panels. <https://today.rtl.lu/news/science-and-environment/a/1466902.html>

Seng, S.(2021). S’pore Buses With Solar Panels Debut On 30 Mar, Paving The Way For Greener Public Transport. <https://mustsharenews.com/buses-solar-panels/>

Solar panels for buses | Should buses use Solar Panels?. Waaree Energies Ltd. (2021). https://www.waaree.com/blog/should-buses-use-solar-panels.