Hitachi ABB Power Grids has been selected to deploy its innovative energy storage solution to support the development of Singapore’s first Virtual Power Plant (VPP) project. The project, launched in 2019, is developed by the Energy Research Institute @ Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (ERI@N) and is jointly funded by Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) and Sembcorp Industries (Sembcorp).
Hitachi ABB Power Grids’ e-mesh PowerStore battery energy storage system (BESS) is a critical part of the VPP infrastructure, providing grid stability by balancing intermittent generation with smart and dynamic loads.
“To meet the carbon emission standards of the future, Singapore will have to tap on all renewable energy sources, relying on artificial intelligence and smart solutions to better coordinate and manage all its energy sources efficiently,” said NTU’s senior vice president (Research) Professor Lam Khin Yong. “The Virtual Power Plant (VPP) is a key project that will allow efficient modelling and innovative features of these emerging technologies to be validated,” he added.
“This marks a key milestone in the VPP project, as energy storage is critical to the efficient integration of green energy into Singapore’s power grid,” said Mr Matthew Friedman, Sembcorp’s chief digital officer.
The VPP will enable electricity produced from Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), like solar and other green sources, to be integrated intelligently, simulating a utility scale power system. Using real-time information, the VPP will optimise the power output of these resources located across the island. Energy fluctuations resulting from solar intermittency will be balanced automatically via the VPP.
