The Energy Market Authority (EMA) and Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) have jointly awarded a research grant to pilot Singapore’s first floating Energy Storage System (ESS). This project was awarded to a consortium led by Envision Digital International Pte Ltd (Envision Digital). This is part of the $10 million partnership between EMA and Keppel O&M to develop innovative energy solutions in the marine sector announced earlier in April this year.

Keppel O&M will be working with the consortium to deploy a 7.5 MW/7.5MWh lithium-ion battery ESS on Keppel O&M’s Floating Living Lab (FLL). This will be Singapore’s largest ESS deployment to date, with sufficient capacity to power more than 600 4-room HDB flats a day. As Singapore’s hot and humid environment can affect the performance of the ESS, the testbed will use an innovative liquid-cooling solution that utilises seawater to cool the battery cells and enhance the lifecycle of the ESS.

The ESS will also explore the first-of-its-kind battery stacking solution in Singapore. This could potentially reduce the footprint required for deployment by up to 40%. Findings from the project are expected to be applied to ESS on mainland Singapore. This would help support power grid stability and resilience, and facilitate the adoption of more renewable energy such as solar.

EMA’s Chief Executive, Mr Ngiam Shih Chun, said: “Energy storage and smart energy management systems support the deployment of more renewable energy in Singapore. This project will pave the way to overcome our land constraints, and set the blueprint for similar deployments in the future. We hope to continue co-creating more of such energy solutions with the industry as we work towards a more sustainable energy future for Singapore.”

The ESS will also be integrated with a Smart Energy Management System (SEMS) on the FLL to enhance its operational efficiency. Supported by artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms, the SEMS will optimise the efficiency of operations and reduce overall energy usage. The project is expected to be completed in 2023. More details of the project can be found in the Annex.

Mr Chris Ong, Chief Executive Officer of Keppel O&M, said: “We are proud to work with the consortium led by Envision Digital to pilot the first floating ESS on our FLL. Besides supporting Singapore’s energy needs, the developed solution will have multiple applications such as supporting areas with intermittent power supply, and rapid deployment to provide emergency power for places or remote islands affected by power disruptions. It can also be deployed on hybrid or fully electric vessels to significantly reduce carbon emissions. In line with Keppel’s Vision 2030, we are committed to the development of clean, efficient and cost-effective solutions that contributes to sustainable urbanisation.”

With the aim of encouraging greater adoption of cleaner energy, the $10 million partnership forged between EMA and Keppel O&M highlights the co-creation efforts from the government and industry to spur innovative energy solutions and build capabilities in the wider industry ecosystem.