Singapore will reach its 200MWh energy storage target 3 years early with new giant storage system

The Republic will achieve its target of having “giant batteries” to store at least 200MW of energy three years early, when Southeast Asia’s largest energy storage system on Jurong Island is up and running by November.

The 200MW fleets of container-like batteries can power the daily electricity needs of about 16,700 four-room Housing Board flats in a single discharge cycle, said the Energy Market Authority (EMA) on Wednesday.

The system is also one of the fastest of its kind to be constructed and deployed.

The EMA had previously set a target for the country to deploy at least 200MW of energy storage beyond 2025, as part of the nation’s shift to renewables and to provide reserves to the national power grid, when needed.

In response to queries from The Straits Times about whether the deployment target has been met early, a spokesman for the authority said: “When operational in November 2022, the 200MW energy storage system would meet Singapore’s goal to deploy at least 200MW of energy storage.”

Moving forward, the spokesman added, the EMA will continue to assess the need for more energy storage systems in Singapore – to enhance its grid resiliency and support more renewable sources.
 

Energy storage systems are container-like batteries that can store surplus energy from the sun or wind for later use, usually at night or during cloudy periods.

As a backup, they help to overcome the issue of high cloud cover – a common issue in Singapore – that interrupts supply harnessed from the sun.

The 200MW system is currently being installed across two sites on Jurong Island – Banyan and Sakra – spanning 2ha of land in total, which is equivalent to the size of four football fields.

Energy storage systems can also quickly manage mismatches in electricity supply and demand to help stabilise the power grid.

“In view of the ongoing volatility in the global energy market, (they) can be used to store energy to provide reserves to the power grid when needed, freeing up power generation plants to generate more electricity to meet demand,” said the EMA.

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.