Singapore is situated at the equator and enjoys a stable climate throughout the year. The country receives 2,022 hours of sunshine a year with an average of 6 hours of sun daily. This makes Singapore a prime location for the adoption of solar energy.
Singapore is also a land scarce vibrant city-state with a population density of 8,292 per square kilometre. The country has an electrification rate of 100% and 95% of the electricity generated uses natural gas with the remaining 5% generated from a mix of petroleum products and other sources. Solar energy contributes to less than 1% in the generation mix.
Installation of solar panels on roof tops of apartment blocks have been steadily on the increase with a target set by the government to reach 2GWp of installed solar capacity by 2030.
Solar energy is the most viable renewable energy option for the country but the output is variable, non-dispatchable and limited to the hours of sunshine received. Pairing an energy storage system with solar energy overcomes this challenge by storing any excess solar energy captured to be used at a constant output and when it is required
Reducing the carbon footprint – the common corridor lightings of two apartment blocks will be powered using clean and renewable energy sources.
Enershift – hybrid energy storage concept
A typical energy storage system utilises batteries to store the energy. Unfortunately, battery energy storage systems have several drawbacks such as: self-discharge, limited life cycles, low energy density and depth of discharge which makes it undesirable for long-term energy storage.
The key difference that EnerShift brings to the table is that it integrates a typical battery energy storage system with hydrogen energy storage incorporating fuel cell and electrolyser technology. The hydrogen energy storage circumvents issues faced by existing energy storage solutions.
Hydrogen being used as an energy storage is clean and with the use of a fuel cell and electrolyser, this renewable energy storage does not face self-discharge over time. The system also requires little maintenance and has a long-term energy storage capability.