SG’s Demand-Side Roadmap outlines guidelines to future-proof grid

This will allow users to adjust their electricity consumption to balance supply and demand.

Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) has launched the city-state’s Demand-Side Flexibility Roadmap to support the needs of the power system whilst enhancing its resiliency.

“With consumers adopting more distributed energy resources such as smart electric vehicle (EV) chargers and battery energy storage systems (BESS), EMA envisages that we could develop and tap on a larger pool of demand-side flexibility resources to contribute to the evolving needs of our power system,” EMA said in a statement, adding that the Demand-Side Flexibility Roadmap charts the vision and plans to harness these resources.

EMA’s Interruptible Load Programme allows business consumers to adjust their electricity demand to address imbalances in electricity demand and supply when called upon by the power system operator.

“To provide participants with greater certainty over their obligations during such contingency events, EMA plans to reduce each IL activation period to 30 minutes and will update the industry once the implementation details are finalised,” the regulator said.

EMA also eyes harnessing distributed energy resources such as battery energy storage systems (BESS) and backup generators.

“These distributed energy resources and high-availability loads represent a potentially dependable and scalable means of contributing to system reserves, with the possibility of enhancing overall grid reliability,” EMA said.

The regulator said it will be publishing a Request for Information to explore the feasibility and design of a programme that can incentivise these distributed energy resources and loads.

Meanwhile, the Demand Response (DR) programme allows business consumers to reduce their electricity demand when wholesale electricity prices are high.

Given the potential of the programme, EMA has expanded the DR to allow EV charging stations and BESS with a nameplate rating below 10 megawatts (MW) to participate in the programme.

EMA is collaborating with ComfortDelGro on a 13-month regulatory sandbox to pilot the participation of EV charging stations and Environmental Control Systems of the SBS Transit Rail network in the DR programme.

“With BESS being incorporated into a facility’s energy management system, participating business consumers can tap on power stored in their BESS during peak demand periods to reduce their electricity demand from the grid without affecting day-to-day operations,” EMA said.

“This gives the system more flexible resources to draw on when needed. EMA currently expects around 15 MW of BESS capacity to enter the DR programme when ready,” it added.