Research for Singapore’s First Floating Energy Storage System
Research is getting underway to develop Singapore’s first floating energy storage system (ESS). Designed to incorporate new technologies in batteries and other areas, the project is part of an ongoing partnership between Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) and Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) to develop innovative energy solutions in the marine sector. The technologies that are being developed will also contribute to the future of electric and hybrid ships.
“Energy storage and smart energy management systems support the deployment of more renewable energy in Singapore,” said EMA’s Chief Executive, Ngiam Shih Chun. “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.”
Among the advanced technologies, they are planning to incorporate into the ESS will be 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.
They also anticipate that it will be a testbed for an innovative liquid-cooling solution that utilizes seawater to cool the battery cells and enhance the life cycle of the ESS. The cooling system is being designed to improve the performance of the ESS in Singapore’s hot and humid environment.
To reduce the footprint required for deployment, the ESS will also explore the first-of-its-kind battery stacking solution in Singapore. By using this stacking arrangement, they anticipate that they could reduce the space requirement by up to 40 percent demonstrating an approach that can also be applied to ESS on Singapore’s mainland.
“We are proud to work with the consortium led by Envision Digital to pilot the first floating ESS on our FLL,” said Chris Ong, Chief Executive Officer of Keppel O&M. 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.”
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 optimize the efficiency of operations and reduce overall energy usage.
The project was awarded to a consortium led by Envision Digital International Pte Ltd (Envision Digital) and is expected to be completed in 2023.
Source : maritime
