Keppel to pilot energy storage system in Singapore

Singapore's Energy Market Authority and shipbuilder Keppel Offshore and Marine (Keppel O&M) will pilot the city-state's first floating energy storage system (ESS), as part of a S$10mn ($7.3mn) partnership to develop innovative energy solutions for the marine sector.

The project has been awarded to a consortium led by Singapore-headquartered technology firm Envision Digital International and is expected to be completed in 2023.

Keppel O&M will work with the consortium to deploy a 7.5MWh lithium-ion battery ESS on its floating living lab (FLL), an offshore floating testbed that will also have LNG bunker facilities and be able to refuel small-scale supplier FueLNG's bunker vessel. Keppel O&M's FLL is expected to be operational by the end of 2021. FueLNG is a licensed LNG bunker supplier in Singapore and a joint venture between Keppel O&M and Shell.

The floating ESS will have "multiple applications such as supporting areas with intermittent power supply and rapid deployment to provide emergency power", Keppel O&M said. "It can also be deployed on hybrid or fully electric vessels to significantly reduce carbon emissions."

Demand for ESS has increased in recent years in line with the rapid growth of renewables. South Korean battery producer Samsung SDI sees global demand for ESS rising to 100GWh in 2025 from 12GWh in 2019, marking an average growth rate of more than 40 pc/yr. Such storage systems, which rely on lithium-ion battery technology, can help offset the intermittency of sources like wind and solar by storing electricity for use during times of day when they may not be much sunlight or wind available.

By Reena Nathan