New Year Message from MD of SolarPVExchange
1. What were some of the highlights of 2021 for SPVX?
The first 10 months of 2021 saw our installed capacity increase by at least 30%, compared to all of last year.
Some of this year's highlights are:
On the residential side, we had a GCB system of 66.86 kWp capacity which required 150 solar modules. For comparison, this is more than twice the size of a typical HDB solar PV system.
We installed our first electric vehicle (EV) charger for a landed residential property, and with the high level of interests in EV, we expect to see more chargers installed in the year ahead.
SolarPVExchange completed a commercial project with a 178 kWp system, utilising more than 330 solar modules.
2. How did the pandemic affect SPVX's day-to-day operations?
There were 2 main challenges - costs and time.
Due to the pandemic, the cost of raw materials and logistics increased by more than 35%. For clients who received their quotes last year but who had not signed off or confirmed their plans, many conversations were needed to explain what caused this price differential.
We also looked at other ways or methods to help our clients lower their pain points, such as partnering with financial institutions to offer delayed payments (instalment plans etc).
Our installation team had to take several COVID tests before they could enter the sites. This, again, resulted in additional time and costs to us. In the early days of the pandemic, the approach to managing Covid-19 was constantly evolving, as more scientific findings and data became available. We had to keep ourselves regularly updated on the procedures and tests, and the number of people who were allowed in any location at any given time.
For everyone's safety, we knew all this had to be done, and we built it in to our work processes. However, there were indeed some challenging days.
With prolonged WFH arrangements and increased energy consumption, the knock-on effect was more enquiries and more projects signed. So you could say that someone up there provided us with this mixed blessing of more business during a trying time while we're navigating in a more demanding work environment.
3. As we are in the early days of the new year, what is your vision or goal for SolarPVExchange in 2022?
We would like to continue to build on the momentum from late last year, and for 2022, we would like to build more PV systems with higher quality and higher efficiency.
Explore other low-carbon technologies for landed homes and commercial buildings, EV charging stations, as well as more energy-efficient tech.
If the travel restrictions ease up, we would like to explore other markets in Southeast Asia.
4. On a personal note, what are the 3 things you would like to see happen in 2022?
Something which I saw and committed towards a few years ago is to be a kinder person to everyone cos that's what the world needs. If everyone was a bit kinder than they were a year before, then I feel most, if not all, problems we face in the world - such as global warming, societal tensions, poverty - will have solutions sooner, rather than later.
The pandemic is not a problem. It is what it is, and our unwillingness to lend a helping hand, a listening ear to our a fellow human beings - that is the problem.
So, be kind.