From afar, it looks like a futuristic forest out of a sci-fi novel; towering steel trunks wrapped in ferns, rising into Singapore’s Marina Bay skyline. But these are not ordinary trees. They are solar-powered Super trees, part of the 250-acre Gardens by the Bay project: an urban oasis that generates 67,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually.
Singapore’s euphoric vision: A vision rooted in ‘city in a garden’
For decades, Singapore suffered from being one of the densest urban environments in the world. Land is scarce, the horizon is crowded with skyscrapers, and their infrastructures constantly compete with nature. With little to no trees, it would slowly become toxic for its inhabitants until the government came up with this remedy, turning Singapore into a City in a garden through solar Super trees.
The Supertree Grove is set within 103 acres of Bay South, forming the heart of Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay. It is flanked by two glass biomes: the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest. There are more than 220,000 solar plants inside, sourced from almost every continent.
Aside from being a botanical sanctuary, the gardens show that it’s possible to weave biodiversity and climate resilience into a modern city, making it safer and more efficient for everyone in it.
Unravelling the intricacies within the SuperTrees
The forest of steel consists of 18 SuperTrees, roughly 25 to 50 meters tall, almost the height of a 16-story building. Their steel trunks are wrapped in climbing plants and orchids to make it ‘come alive’.
Eleven of the SuperTrees are fitted with solar photovoltaic panels. During the day, they absorb sunlight, generating around 67,000 kWh per year, and come on at night. But power is just part of the story. These SuperTrees can also regulate and recycle just like natural trees, like this groundbreaking garden, generating energy. They serve as an air venting duct for the nearby biomes, collect rainwater to irrigate the gardens, and provide shade for visitors.
How the technology combines innovation and aesthetics
What’s even more genius is how multifunctional these trees are. They provide shade in the day while their solar cells generate electricity. By night, they come alive with breathtaking light and musical shows. Bridges known as ‘skywalks’ connect the tallest supertrees, allowing visitors to stroll 22 meters above the ground. From there, the view stretches across the Marina Bay Sands resort and the Singapore Strait.
In most urban cities, loads of solar energy are tucked away in panels mounted on rooftops. That’s not the case with Singapore. Instead of seeing these Super trees as an invisible utility bill. Instead, it’s becoming a part of their normal lives.
What the future holds for this technology
By 2050, nearly 79% of the global population is expected to live in cities, and with the population doubling every year, the new challenge would be figuring out how to house millions more people without exhausting the planet’s resources.
These solar SuperTrees offer a glimpse of hope. Other features of Gardens by the Bay point to this integrated approach; horticultural waste powers a steam turbine to cool the flower dome, while rainwater is collected to reduce reliance on any external supply. With these systems in place, more energy would be conserved and renewed, providing an extensive supply of resources as the years go by.
Through these solar SuperTrees, Singapore can become more self-sustainable. They can now enjoy cleaner air, better ecosystems, and even tourist visits. When Minister Lee Kuan Yew envisioned Gardens by the Bay, he hoped it would be ‘the pride of Singapore ‘. Today, it’s more than that, and that vision is rapidly taking root, one photosynthetic watt at a time, like this futuristic wavy panel hiding in an expected country.
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