CW Group, Red Dot Power to build Singapore's energy storage systems with S$17.8m grant

TWO Singapore-led consortia have been given the right to implement the first utility-scale energy storage systems in the Republic after a call for proposals by the Energy Market Authority (EMA) and grid operator SP Group in May last year.

The two consortia, led by CW Group and Red Dot Power, will receive about S$17.8 million in grants to build the two systems which use lithium-ion and vanadium redox flow technologies respectively.

The two were selected out of more than 10 international consortia from the US, Europe and Asia that submitted competitive bids, said Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Sim Ann on the first day of the Singapore International Energy Week.

CW Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed CW Group Holdings Limited, will be working with Nanyang Technological University, while Red Dot Power is working with National University of Singapore, ST Kinetics' subsidiary Singapore Test Services, and German-American technology company Younicos.

The test-bed is expected to be operational for three years at two substation locations in the north and north-eastern part of Singapore. They will have a total capacity of 4.4 megawatt-hour, which could power more than 330 four-room HDB flats for a day.

The two technologies will be evaluated for their performance under Singapore's hot and humid climate.The test-bed will also help establish clear technical guidelines for deployment of energy storage systems in future, such as grid connection and safety requirements for installation, said the EMA.

It added that energy storage will facilitate greater deployment of solar energy, and help Singapore move one step closer towards the target of achieving one gigawatt-peak of solar beyond 2020.

Said its chief executive Ng Wai Choong: "Insights from this test-bed would be useful for Singapore to learn how storage could enhance the stability of our grid, provide quick response capacity and improve operational flexibility."

The agency is exploring how to couple energy storage with solar forecasting capabilities to enable greater deployment of solar in Singapore, he added.