More solar means more investment: SP

SINGAPORE Power (SP), which handles electricity and gas transmission and distribution here, will need to make a "significant investment" in additional infrastructure to handle a two-way power flow in the electricity grid when supply from intermittent generation sources, including solar energy, ramps up in future, said its CEO Wong Kim Yin.

Speaking to BT on the sidelines of the Electricity Roundtable yesterday, Mr Wong said that while SP's existing infrastructure can handle the just-announced increase this week in the current cap on intermittent generation sources from 350 megawatts to 600 MW, SP will have to boost its infrastructure if this is further upped beyond 1,000 MW later.

The new 600 MW cap announced by the government represents around 10 per cent of current peak electricity demand in Singapore of 6,000 MW. The cap is to ensure there is sufficient electricity reserve (from the gencos) to back up the intermittent energy sources and ensure power system stability.