Energy storage systems in Singapore are being developed and innovated by the nation’s Energy Market Authority.
The Energy Storage System (ESS) was created so that so that research partners and industry could be bought together to come up with innovative solutions to improve energy storage which will in turn help the roll out of solar resources throughout the nation.
Researchers have concluded that solar power is the most viable renewable energy resource for Singapore.
The first large scale storage system is a lithium ion battery storage system with a 2.4 megawatt hour rating. The utility scale battery has been installed into a SP Group substation.
The aim of the development is to be able to analyse the safety and performance of battery storage systems in the hot and humid weather conditions of Singapore, as well as seeing how effective it would be in a highly urbanised area. The project should then be able to come to reasoned conclusions on what works best for future energy storage sites in Singapore.
The new site is expected to come online towards the end of this year and it will take part in the wholesale electricity market and will supply electricity when solar power fails to do so. Meaning a steady supply of electricity can maintained even on not sunny days.
It is believed that energy storage systems will be one of the solutions for Singapore in their effort to increase the amount of solar energy is their electricity grid. The energy storage systems will be a significant investment for the country as it aims to have at least 2 gigawatts of solar deployed by the end of the decade.
There is another distributed storage system that is being installed in the electrical switchrooms of 5 different public housing blocks located in Punggol. Similar to the other project, this venture is being used as a test to be able to work out the best way to create a centralised control system which can manage numerous different lithium ion batteries across different locations. It is hoped that the project will be able to help guide future similar projects.
The most recent storage project in Singapore is the provision of a grant to a consortium ran by Envision Digital International to make the first floating system in Singapore.
The storage system will be a 7.5 megawatt hour lithium ion battery. Due to the nature of the weather conditions, the project will include a clever water-cooling system that makes use of the seawater to help cool the batteries and improve the lifespan of the system.
The development is also going to make use of a battery stacking design, which is a first of its kind in Singapore. This means that the footprint of the system could be decreased by up to 40 per cent.
The grant is a part of a new initiave to improve energy solutions within the marine industry in Singapore. It is hoped that the scheme will help improve electricity supply in the most remote islands and reduce the amount of blackouts.
The floating battery system is estimated to be finished by 2023.
New energy storage systems are seen as the answer to helping Singapore transition to a more renewable electricity grid. Especially as the country has such ideal conditions for solar power it needs to be able to harness all the electricity it produces.