SP Group’s Innovative Battery Wins Ministry of National Development Award

At the Urban Sustainability R&D Congress 2019, SP Group was recognised for developing an innovative energy storage system that promotes the use of renewable energy. The project received the 2019 Minister for National Development (MND)’s R&D Merit Award.

SP’s unique “battery” combines the use of thermal energy storage system and lithium ion battery to balance the energy supplied to produce chilled water. At Marina Bay Sands, SP operates the world’s largest underground district cooling system. Here, chillers centrally produce chilled water during off-peak periods when the price of electricity is low, stores the chilled water using a thermal energy storage system, and supplies the chilled water for air conditioning use at the buildings in the entire Marina Bay area. If renewable energy that is used to power the chillers suddenly fluctuates, the lithium ion battery will immediately discharge energy to balance the supply, hence overcoming the challenge of inconsistent renewable energy in a cost-effective way.

Mr Jimmy Khoo, CEO, Singapore District Cooling, SP Group, said, “SP Group is honoured to receive this recognition. The main deterrent of using renewable energy such as solar or wind is its inconsistency due to weather conditions. We developed an energy storage system which acts like a battery to immediately supplement supply when there is a sudden fluctuation. We hope this first-of-its-kind system will encourage wider use of renewables as we continue to innovate to create a greener and smarter future for Singapore.”

This is a pilot developed by SP and A*STAR to test the concept under the Energy Market Authority’s Smart Grid Grant Call.

— 26 July 2019