Keppel O&M in MOU to develop new energy solutions

Keppel O&M's Floating IFloating Living Lab (FLL) [© Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M)]

Successful applicants for grants being offered under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) and Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) will have an opportunity to trial their solutions on a unique floating testbed.

The new partnership between EMA and Keppel O&M aims to develop energy solutions in the areas of distributed energy resources, digitalization and emerging low carbon alternatives. A grant call has been issued for solutions relating to energy storage systems and smart power grids for the offshore and marine environment. They should seek to reduce overall energy usage and carbon footprint while enhancing overall operational efficiency. The insights derived from the grant call could be translated to potential solutions to enhance the Singapore grid.

Shortlisted participants will have the opportunity to testbed their solutions through Keppel O&M’s Floating Living Lab (FLL), the first-of-its-kind offshore floating testbed in Singapore.

Expected to be operational by end 2021, Keppel O&M’s FLL will provide a platform for the industry and the research community to testbed and commercialize promising power and technology solutions for the marine sector.

FLOATING LIVING LAB

Keppel O&M’s FLL will be located off its shipyard and will be able to generate electricity from LNG and other energy sources to meet the needs of its yard in Singapore, with excess electricity to be exported to the national power grid.

The Floating Living Lab will have onboard:

• Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunkering facilities for harbour crafts and small vessels. Supported by FueLNG, a licensed LNG bunker supplier in Singapore and Keppel O&M’s joint venture with Shell Eastern Petroleum, the FLL will also be able to refuel LNG to FueLNG’s bunker vessel;

• Pressurized LNG tanks (IMO Type C) and cargo handling system suitable for simultaneous bunkering and power generation;

• A smart grid and power generation that includes LNG, Solar Photovoltaic and Energy Storage Systems (ESS) such as batteries;

• Digitalized Energy Management application leveraging Keppel O&M’s proprietary IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) platform, AssetCare, to enable machine learning on energy output optimisation as well as predictive analytics for efficiency and reliability; and

• A dedicated area where Keppel can work with the wider eco-system to testbed and demonstrate innovative technologies in the marine and floating power space, such as biofuels, hydrogen or electrification solutions for harbour vessels.

The FLL will serve as a proof-of-concept for Keppel’s proprietary small-scale LNG to power solution which is more economical and sustainable compared to diesel fueled power generators. It can be used to meet power demands in areas with limited power infrastructure as well as provide secure power in the event of natural catastrophes.

GRANT CALL

The grant call is open for applications at https://ema.gov.sg/ema-keppel-partnership.aspx and will close on 12pm, June 24, 2020. Interested companies, research institutes and institutes of higher learning are welcome to participate.