POWER UP

Fresh from a merger with global renewable energy producer EDP Renewables worth $1.1 billion, Singapore-based solar energy company Sunseap is charging ahead with plans to green the region, according to CEO Frank Phuan.

- KAREN TEE

Frank Phuan has a great money-saving hack for anyone who drives an electric vehicle and has solar panels installed at home.

“Charge your electric car around noon, when the sun is at its strongest and your solar panels are producing the most energy,” says Phuan, co-founder of Sunseap, a solar energy system developer, owner, and operator in Singapore. “You could also sell the energy back to the grid, but you will end up getting less than you would if you were to use the solar panels to charge your car.”

You can take his word for it. Phuan is one of Singapore’s pioneering disruptors in the clean energy sector. When he came up with the idea to sell solar energy in 2011, he played an integral role in making renewable energy affordable, diversifying from the solar panel manufacturing business his father founded.

Since then, Sunseap has installed its solar energy systems on more than 3,000 buildings in Singapore, including public housing estates, as well as commercial and industrial buildings.

Naturally, his home — a sprawling, two-storey house with a basement and attic — runs mostly on renewable energy, too. Additionally, the house is equipped with other energy-saving features, including a battery that stores excess solar-generated energy to use when it is cloudy or at night, as well as motion sensor lights to conserve electricity.

Including charging his Tesla, his monthly electricity bill is a mere $200, compared to about $700 before the solar panels were installed.

With energy costs on a global scale surging, it is no surprise that more and more consumers are switching to renewable energy — both for the environment and to save money.