EMA to issue grants for energy storage system proposals

SINGAPORE’S Energy Market Authority (EMA) is seeking proposals that drive the research and development of energy storage systems (ESS).

Successful applicants will be awarded a grant under the statutory board’s second ESS grant call. EMA is looking for proposals that develop more land-efficient, cost-effective and safer ESS solutions suited for the Republic’s tropical and urbanised climate.

Most recently, EMA, with support from Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG), awarded grants to three local energy startups – Power Facade, Ampotech and EtaVolt – through separate partnerships with Shell and Envision Digital.

All three are developing solutions to boost the adoption of building applied photovoltaics, encourage air-conditioning optimisation and maximise photovoltaic performance.

The grants awarded fall under EnterpriseSG’s Open Innovation Initiative, which encourages small and medium-sized enterprises and startups to collaborate with industry players in creating commercially-viable solutions.

EMA anticipates Singapore’s clean-energy workforce to grow 80 per cent over the next nine years, reaching around 2,700 workers in 2032. The clean-energy sector employed around 1,500 workers in 2022, findings from its manpower survey showed.

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As for the power sector, EMA projects a 13 per cent increase, or 800 workers, over the same period. 

The survey found that Singapore residents make up 83 per cent of the clean-energy workforce, indicating that critical capabilities are being developed locally.

Engineers make up the majority of the technical workforce, with over 90 per cent possessing tertiary-level education qualifications.

Clean-energy jobs expected to experience “substantial growth” include roles in electricity transmission and distribution solutions, low-carbon alternatives, solar, as well as smart grids, meters and sensors. 

EMA is also projecting workforce expansion into digital and Industry 4.0 job functions such as data analytics, as well as operational and technical cybersecurity.

Those with data analytics-related roles will require skills in data management and data engineering. Operational and technical cybersecurity workers, meanwhile, will need to be proficient in engineering security solutions for cloud and embedded products, and rolling out risk-mitigating security measures.

EMA noted that generation companies are driving the expansion into solar energy, as they work to align their business models with Singapore’s energy transition.