NTU & Alstom Partner On Energy Research

The partnership between NTU and Alstom will see the implementation of a microgrid solution first at NTU and subsequently at the Semakau landfill.

AsianScientist (Dec. 29, 2014) – Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) has signed an agreement with French energy and transport giant, Alstom, to develop a unique system to integrate and manage multiple power sources.

This collaboration, commencing from January 2015, will be the first project under the Renewable Energy Integration Demonstrator – Singapore (REIDS) initiative led by the Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N) and supported by Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB).

Announced in October 2014, the REIDS initiative was and is the first of its kind in the region. It will see the construction of an offshore microgrid to manage and integrate electricity generated from multiple sources which includes solar, wind, tidal, diesel, as well as energy storage and power-to-gas solutions.

Together with Alstom, NTU Singapore will jointly develop a unique “MicroGrid Power Mix Management” solution, based on Alstom’s Digital Automation Platform (DAP). The new technology will manage power exchanges within a microgrid even when it is connected or disconnected from the main power grid.

The main objective of this partnership is to ensure a greener and stable supply of energy through the integration of smart energy management and energy storage systems.

Professor Lam Khin Yong, NTU Chief of Staff and Vice President (Research), said, “Renewable and sustainable energy is a key pillar of NTU’s research efforts. NTU’s collaboration with a global corporation such as Alstom underpins the university’s strength in transforming its engineering expertise into practical industry applications.”

“Micro-grids will play an ever-growing role in the rapidly expanding electric energy technologies and systems in the Southeast Asian region and NTU Singapore is well-placed to contribute to this growth. The systemic integration of renewable energies and energy storage based on the micro-grid technology presents many collaboration opportunities between NTU and the industry.”

The jointly developed microgrid solution will initially be implemented at NTU, which will see further enhancement to the campus’ energy efficiency. This is done by integrating various energy resources, such as solar, wind, diesel and gas technologies that will be deployed on the NTU campus.

It will subsequently be implemented at Semakau Landfill, an offshore landfill between the islands Pulau Semakau and Pulau Sakeng, located south of Singapore. The microgrid will demonstrate REIDS’ ability to manage a variety of renewable energy sources in an off-grid environment. It could be used to power small islands and rural communities located off the national grid and may also function as a back-up power source during emergencies.

Mr. Goh Chee Kiong, Executive Director, Cleantech, and Cities, Infrastructure & Industrial Solutions of EDB said, “Singapore aims to be the leading clean energy hub in Asia where companies can develop and commercialize energy management solutions able to effectively integrate multiple energy sources. To this end, Singapore has set up innovation platforms such as REIDS to foster co-innovation among complementary companies in the energy industry ecosystem.”

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Source: Nanyang Technological University.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

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