SIEW Thinktank Roundtable C provided a deep dive into the ways smart energy systems can benefit both the grid and end-customers while accelerating the shift to a sustainable future. By Jerry Lui.
Discussions around digital solutions and smart energy systems took centre stage during SIEW Thinktank Roundtable C hosted by Energy Research Institute @ Nanyang Technological University (ERI@N). Mr Cherif Assaf, Programme Director, ERI@N, opened the Roundtable with his presentation on how renewables integration will impact the grid, and the business perspectives of doing so.
Here are some of the innovation highlights showcased during the session.
Reducing carbon footprint and energy bill in a district
Mr Assaf observed that more buildings are hosting different types of energies, such as solar photovoltaics (PV) and diesel generators. However, they are decoupled, which result in losses of up to 64%.
ERI@N therefore developed the Smart Multi-Energy System (SMES) to better manage and recover the lost energies.
Developing Jurong Port into a Next Generation Multipurpose Port
Mr Parikshit N. Kulkarni, Senior Manager, Operations and Technology, Jurong Port, shared the features of a modern multipurpose port—with sustainability and energy efficiency key to the port’s operations. Jurong Port also showcased its involvement in the SMES project, which leverages its 9.65MW solar PV installation, one of the world’s largest on a single site.
Tapping on Singapore’s geothermal potential
Mr John Redfern, President, CEO and Co-Founder, Eavor, noted that Singapore is an alternative energy-disadvantaged country, with only land-intensive solar possible. He proposed the Eavor-Loop as a solution to tap on Singapore’s geothermal potential, by constructing a series of underground radiators to harvest heat energy. With this solution, Singapore potentially has a 10 gigawatt scalable green baseload without intermittency.
Virtual Power Plant (VPP) development outlook in Singapore
Mr Siah Keng Boon, Head, Advanced Engineering & Technology, Sembcorp Industries, shared his views that the industry is facing disruption, particularly from urbanisation, transport electrification and decarbonisation.
The Virtual Power Plant (VPP) initiative seeks to make the grid smarter by transforming it to handle multiple producers given the proliferation of such distributed generation. It does so by ensuring consistent performance with minimal outages and improved resilience.
The Energy Market Authority (EMA) of Singapore, Sembcorp and ERI@N will be collaborating to build Singapore’s first VPP. Sembcorp looks forward to closer collaboration with industry stakeholders to join the VPP initiative and build up the ecosystem in Singapore.
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