ENGIE Lab Singapore features cutting-edge and future-proof R&D facility

The platform consists of a unique smart multi-fluid microgrid combining numerous green technologies to produce and store electricity and hydrogen. 

In many regions, helping remote and rural communities access energy for socio-economic development, quality of life improvement, and productivity amelioration remains a challenge due to the exorbitant costs of connection to primary energy grids. ENGIE Lab Singapore aims to power these remote communities sustainably with low-carbon technologies and affordable energy.

In this regard, ENGIE Lab Singapore has developed and commissioned the REIDS-SPORE (Renewable Energy Integration Demonstration Singapore – Sustainable Power for Off-grid Regions) microgrid, a unique energy demonstrator on Semakau Landfill on the Southern shores of Singapore. The platform is a research and development (R&D) facility consisting of a smart multi-fluid microgrid that generates and stores green hydrogen and renewable electricity in tropical conditions. It integrates these energy sources into an innovative network supported by a multi-layered advanced control and management system.

The REIDS-SPORE microgrid now serves not only as a living lab, an R&D testbed, and a training platform for industry, universities, and professionals but also as a centre of expertise and a provider of readily deployable solutions.

Additionally, the demonstrator boasts the largest wind turbine in Singapore with a 100-kW capacity, battery energy storage systems with a 200kW/1MWh lead-acid battery and a 50kW/2MWh hydrogen storage system, 200 kWp solar PV and an EV (Electric Vehicle) charging station. The microgrid also hosts an Energy Management System (EMS) and a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system. The REIDS-SPORE's hydrogen system is the first hydrogen full chain in Southeast Asia for green hydrogen production through electrolysis, electricity generation with the fuel cell and sustainable mobility with a hydrogen refuelling station powering a fuel-cell electric vehicle.

Besides energy, reliable access to clean water remains challenging for remote communities. ENGIE Lab Singapore has thus connected atmospheric water generation panels to the microgrid to demonstrate the feasibility of supplying potable water to remote regions facing water scarcity and benefitting from a self-sustainable water source for green hydrogen production.

ENGIE believes that the grid of tomorrow will be multi-energy. Integrating low-carbon technologies into a multi-fluid network is, therefore, essential to accelerate the decarbonisation of energy systems. ENGIE Lab Singapore demonstrates how integration can be done optimally. Thanks to several IT control layers, helmed by ENGIE's proprietary energy management system (EMS) that integrates a commercially available power management system and supervisory control and data acquisition system, the REIDS-SPORE's microgrid's "brain" ensures the short-term stability and long-term sustainability of energy production and consumption in the grid. The objective is to minimise operational costs, reduce carbon emissions and acquire data to improve the reliable utilisation of the multiple assets following the needs of the grid.

Whilst the site was commissioned during the pandemic, it has also been running on renewable energy 24/7 since the summer of 2022, a crucial milestone for the platform, which proves its continuous improvement approach.

"At the core of the REIDS project, the REIDS-SPORE microgrid is a testament to ENGIE's commitment to further enhancing sustainable and affordable energy solutions," Loic Villocel, director of ENGIE Lab Singapore, explained.

The success of the R&D facility has also brought recognition to ENGIE Lab Singapore, with the company bringing home the R&D Project of the Year at the recently held Asian Power Awards 2022. Now in its 18th year, the prestigious awards programme has recognised the REIDS-SPORE demonstrator as the sole R&D ground-breaking and trailblazing initiative in Asia's power sector.

With ENGIE Lab Singapore's pioneering vision and experience, the REIDS-SPORE initiative is paving the way to accelerate the growth of sustainable local energy communities of tomorrow.