Keppel O&M, EMA award grant for Singapore's first floating energy storage system

KEPPEL Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) and the Energy Market Authority (EMA) have jointly awarded a research grant to pilot Singapore's first floating Energy Storage System (ESS).

The project, which is expected to be completed in 2023, was awarded to a consortium led by Envision Digital International, EMA and Keppel O&M said in a joint statement on Monday.

The latest tie-up is part of the S$10 million partnership between EMA and Keppel O&M to develop innovative energy solutions in the marine sector announced in April this year.

Keppel O&M will be working with the consortium to deploy a 7.5 megawatts/7.5 megawatt-hour lithium-ion battery ESS on Keppel O&M's floating living lab.

This will be Singapore's largest ESS deployment to date, with sufficient capacity to power more than 600 four-room Housing & Development Board (HDB) flats a day, Keppel O&M and EMA said.

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 life-cycle of the ESS, they added.

The ESS will also explore the "first-of-its-kind battery-stacking solution" in the Republic, which could potentially reduce the footprint required for deployment by up to 40 per cent, Keppel O&M and EMA noted. Findings from the project are expected to be applied to ESS on mainland Singapore. This would help support power-grid stability and resilience, as well as facilitate the adoption of more renewable energy such as solar, they said.

In addition, the ESS on Keppel O&M's floating living lab will be integrated with a smart energy management system (SEMS) 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, said EMA and Keppel O&M.

Ngiam Shih Chun, EMA's chief executive officer (CEO), noted that the project will pave the way for Singapore to overcome its land constraints and set the blueprint for similar deployments in the future.

Said Chris Ong, CEO 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."

Keppel Corp shares were trading at S$4.49, down S$0.02 or 0.4 per cent, as at the midday break on Monday.

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