IEEE Electrification - December 2022 - 88

regional power grid allows access to
sustainable energy sources that are
not available in land-scarce Singapore,
adding further to the energy diversity.
The government is at different stages
of trials for energy imports with partners
from Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos,
and Australia.
In 2020, Singapore and Malaysia
planned to import 100 MW of clean
energy from Malaysia to Singapore.
However, in October 2021, the Malaysian
government confirmed that only
nonrenewable power will be exported
to Singapore, as Malaysia needs to
meet its own clean energy targets.
The government is
not limiting itself on
the generation side
but is also
considering
developing a whole
ecosystem around
low carbon.
Yeoh Tiong Lay PowerSeraya was appointed the electricity
importer for a two-year trial via existing interconnectors.
The trial will, however, continue and help refine all
import-related technical settings and regulatory arrangements
to facilitate the future import of low-carbon energy.
This trial will set the base for the cross-border import of
100 MW of hydropower from Laos to Singapore via Thailand
and Malaysia, which is supposed to
commence next year. In another trial,
Singapore has partnered with a powergeneration
company, PacificLight
Power, to import a 100-MW equivalent
of power from a solar farm in
Pulau Bulan, Indonesia, by 2024.
These proposals were
announced during the Singapore
International Energy
Week 2021 in an agreement
with the Energy
Market Authority. These
projects give fresh traction
to the long-standing
plans for an Association of
Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) power grid a crossborder
regional grid system
across southeast Asia, which was
first conceived around two decades
ago. As a part of the five-year sustainability
plan laid out in the ASEAN
Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation
border regional grid system
across southeast Asia, which was
first conceived around two decades
ago. As a part of the five-year sustainability
plan laid out in the ASEAN
Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation
2021-2025, a target of a 23% share of
renewable energy in the total primary energy supply and
35% in ASEAN-installed capacity by 2025 was set. This target
would require around 35-40 GW of renewable capacity
to be added by ASEAN countries by 2025.
Other Low-Carbon Initiatives
In addition to the efforts mentioned, Singapore is also
investing in the development of emerging low-carbon
88
IEEE Electrification Magazine / DECEMBER 2022
technologies, such as green hydrogen,
carbon capture, etc. The government
is not limiting itself on the
generation side but is also considering
developing a whole ecosystem
around low carbon.
There is a constant drive to
include the public in the ecosystem.
This can be seen from efforts to
encourage the use of electric vehicles
(EVs), with an aim of replacing all
internal combustion engines (ICEs)
by 2040. Electrification is not limited
to land transport, and significant
consideration is also given to the
electrification of the marine and aviation
sectors. In addition, since 2018, Singapore residents
have been allowed to purchase electricity from a
retailer of their choice. The retailers can offer different
plans based on various factors, such as the time of use,
fixed rate, peak demand, etc. Consumers are also
allowed to purchase renewable energy certificates,
which are a form of energy commodity used by consumers
to achieve their clean energy targets.
Challenges Ahead
The scramble for alternative energy,
increasing oil prices, growing concerns
over energy security, and
the threat to climate change
have pushed the development
of low-carbon technologies
in the global context. Currently,
only approximately
25% of the power produced
in the world is
from low-carbon renewable
energy sources. These
sources include hydropower,
solar, tidal, geothermal,
biomass, and wind energy.
Renewable energy is currently,
by far, the fastest growing in
terms of development in all elec
tricity sources. However, when it
comes to a low-carbon future, there
are a few challenges that Singapore
-
needs to overcome.
Providing Quality Power on Demand
As Singapore looks to increase its energy diversity by
including solar energy and energy imports (from multiple
countries) along with a mix of natural gas and energy
storage, it will be challenging to ensure a quality
power supply to the consumers. The intermittency of
solar, uncertainty and quality issues due to the coupling
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