If we want a green future, we must have green energy

ENGIE Lab Singapore had the honour of hosting Ms Indranee Thurai Rajah, Minister in Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Finance and National Development in Singapore at the Lab's flagship R&D showcase in Singapore – the Renewable Energy Integration Demonstrator Singapore (REIDS-SPORE) at Semakau Landfill, which was developed in collaboration with the Energy Research Institute of Nanyang Technological University. 

The REIDS-SPORE is a testbed for development and deployment of clean technologies for micro-grids, including a solar plant, battery storage unit, Singapore’s only wind turbine and a unique Power 2 Power green hydrogen system. This site demonstrates that solutions to create greener and more resilient cities around the region are already available.

Ms Indranee Rajah was keen to learn more about the value propositions Singapore's ecosystem can offer to the renewable energy sector and to understand more about the technical side of the technologies. During the visit, Minister and ENGIE also had a discussion on how ENGIE could contribute to the industry meeting its objectives. 

Several topics were discussed:

• How H2 could be sustainably produced and used,
• The benefits of EVs
• Understanding the role of wind and other renewables in our microgrid and for the region
• Understanding the commercialization considerations for microgrid solutions for islands
• Get to know more about ENGIE’s activities in the region, R&D projects and focuses here, specifically REIDS SPORE
• The demonstrator as an integrated solution not only for off grid but for urban applications as well, by the uniqueness of the site to test interoperability between different microgrids operated by different companies
• Educational / training role of the REIDS SPORE platform to bring sustainability awareness to Singaporeans and regional government stakeholders.

Focus on Water photovoltaics

U.S.-based startup Source Global has developed “hydropanels” which produce water using nothing but sunlight and air. Together with ENGIE Lab Singapore, the company has installed its innovative panels at the REIDS SPORE R&D platform in Semakau Island off the coast of Singapore, where the water will be used to produce completely green hydrogen to fuel a self-sufficient microgrid.

Modeled on traditional photovoltaic panels, Source Global’s hydro version uses solar energy to draw the endlessly renewable pure water vapor out of the sky. A system of solar-powered fans direct the air into the hydropanel where, using patented technology, the system sustainably creates drinking water.

At the testing platform in Semakau Island, the water is injected into an electrolyzer and fuel-cell system which converts solar and wind power into hydrogen. This hydrogen can then be incorporated into a fuel cell to power an electric vehicle, or it can be reinjected into the local grid in the form of electricity.

The multi-fluid microgrid, currently generating 550 kW of electricity and boasting Singapore’s largest wind turbine at 100kW, will be used by ENGIE Group and its collaborators, as well as educational and research institutes to test and develop additional solutions. ENGIE also intends to develop additional similar projects in partnership with the local ecosystem as a way of testing various new carbon-neutral technologies.