Help Transform the Energy Sector!

EMA is keen to co-create solutions with the industry to resolve existing challenges faced by our energy sector. If you think you have ideas that can deliver greater value to the industry and consumers, contact us!

Share your ideas!

EMA has been actively enhancing our regulations and seeking ideas that could support new energy technologies and business models.

We encourage and welcome industry to share your ideas via www.go.gov.sg/ema-cocreation on how we can overcome these challenges! If rule changes/waivers are necessary, these ideas could also be implemented under the Regulatory Sandbox.

Challenge 1: With the envisaged introduction of electricity imports in future, how might we safeguard the reliability of our power sector through local backup measures

If electricity imports are to play a meaningful role in our power sector, the outage risk of electricity imports will have to be addressed in a reliable and economically efficient manner.

• EMA notes that electricity imports have a different reliability profile compared to Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (CCGTs). The outage of individual CCGTs are typically rectified in a span of days or several weeks. In comparison, for electricity imports via subsea cables, a sufficiently severe outage (e.g. cable damage) may take up to several months to repair.
• To ensure system reliability, EMA envisages that electricity imports will have to be supported by backup capacity in Singapore that can respond quickly and be able to sustain output for months.

To prepare for the future entry of electricity imports, EMA wishes to engage industry players and experts to design and refine solutions that can address the problem statement, and further seeks interest from parties who could provide these solutions as a service.

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Challenge 2: How might we overcome billing system and settlement constraints when consumers install different generation technologies (or lease them from different entities)?

With the proliferation of new technologies such as solar PV and energy storage, consumers and companies are looking to adopt them to reduce electricity costs.

This has also created new business models such as the leasing model. This allows consumers to lease the new technologies instead of investing in high upfront capital cost.

However, consumers will face challenges if they want to (a) install different types of new technologies; and/or (b) lease them from different entities. This is due to the current design of the billing system and different settlement frameworks for different technologies.

We expect more consumers to face these problems in future with the growing interest in renewables and energy storage.

If resolved, this could open up vast opportunities for consumers and businesses to cut operational costs. It will also lead to new business opportunities for investors.

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Challenge 3: How might we help consumers with embedded generation to reduce their required grid capacity?

Large Embedded Generation (EG) consumers have to book grid capacity from Singapore Power. They also have to pay for the use of the grid through a combination of fixed and variable charges. In particular, EG consumers tend to book higher grid capacity in case the EG fails to meet the load demand.

Alternatively, EG consumers can opt to cut off power when demand exceeds contracted capacity and reduce their capacity charges.

With the growing increase in EGs, EMA is keen to explore innovative solutions that will allow EG consumers to better manage their load demand and reduce capacity charges.

One potential solution could be to explore capping (instead of cutting) power supply when demand exceeds contracted capacity. Another solution may be to use Energy Storage Solutions (and other smart grid devices) to supplement existing grid connection schemes.

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Challenge 4: How could we facilitate Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) uptake in Singapore?

The deployment of Electric Vehicles (EV) will contribute towards achieving a more environmentally sustainable land transport sector in Singapore. The government is supportive of adopting cleaner vehicles and has introduced measures to facilitate EV adoption. The proliferation of EVs in our market would in turn pave the way for V2G services to become more viable.

Recognising the potential benefits of V2G services for our energy system and to achieve our goals of a progressive and sustainable energy landscape, EMA is ready to support the implementation of V2G in our energy market.

Given the nascency of V2G domestically, EMA is adopting an open-ended approach to seek feedback and comments to refine our policy considerations around V2G participation and EV charging infrastructure. Your valuable feedback will ensure that our regulatory developments are fit-for-purpose and support potential business models.

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Challenge 5: How could we leverage on consumer loads to provide for Fast Start service?

As Singapore’s energy landscape evolves and demand grows, EMA continues to explore new strategies to maintain our power supply reliability and security. Given our energy resource constraints, maximising resource efficiency is critical in creating a sustainable energy future for Singapore.

One area where resources could be more efficiently channeled is for the provision of Fast Start. This service is called upon to restore reserve following an outage of online generating units.

Recognising this, EMA is exploring leveraging on consumer loads to provide for Fast Start service to maximise available resources and enhance system efficiency. We are keen to gather industry feedback and interest with regards to this proposal. Further details can be found here.

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