VDE Renewables, together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and the Nanyang Technological University Singapore’s (NTU Singapore) Energy Research Institute (ERI@N), launched the Global Energy Storage Competence Cluster (GECC) today, at the annual Asia Clean Energy Summit in Singapore. This global iniative for energy storage will serve the international cleantech sector along the entire value chain and features VDE Prime Labs in Singapore, Germany and the USA. The VDE Prime Lab in Singapore will also be the first in the world to offer bankability and insurability certification for energy storage solutions at the systems level, which will plug a critical gap in the global energy landscape.
The demand for batteries worldwide is projected to grow exponentially with applications not only in the portable electronics sector, but also in e-mobility and stationary storage in conjunction with renewable energies and power grid support. While lead-acid based batteries will continue to be utilized in traditional applications, Lithium-ion-based battery technology will become the dominant solution for mobile as well as stationary energy storage applications. The growth of the energy storage industry and markets points to the increasing demand for testing – not only to support national and international certification requirements, but also to support industry development and innovation efforts and to increase safety.
The GECC will have a global mandate, incorporating testing and research capabilities in Germany, Singapore and the US. The GECC will offer VDE’s world-class testing and certification product portfolio for energy storage products and systems internationally and also address local needs.
“To enable the safe and sustainable growth of energy storage, we will leverage on our established experience and expertise in bankability certification, which goes beyond established safety standards to additionally cover performance and reliability. These bankability services also meet the needs of financiers and insurers, which are key stakeholders in storage projects,” announced Ansgar Hinz, CEO of the VDE Association.
The VDE Prime Lab in Singapore shall offer VDE’s testing & certification portfolio, as well as conduct testing according to local and regional standards. It will also be the first in the world to offer bankability and insurability certification for energy storage solutions at the systems level, which will plug a critical gap in the global energy landscape. Furthermore, the Singapore Prime Lab shall forge new relationships with local players to carry out joint research projects and develop testing activities together with the GECC; therefore also strengthening linkages for knowledge exchanges between Singapore, Germany and the USA.
“Advanced energy storage technologies are, in many applications, still a nascent stage. Research and development (R&D) still has a large role to play – not only in product development, but also in developing testing programs for these products and the creation of appropriate standards to ensure that high quality products are being brought to market. Such tests are complex and require deep knowledge of the technology to be tested. We are therefore very excited to combine our applied R&D expertise with the testing and certification experience of VDE Renewables for storage, which adds to our long-standing partnership in Singapore. This partnership enables the GECC to serve the entire storage value chain, from R&D to commercialization,” said Dr. Matthias Vetter, Head of Department, Electrical Energy Storage at Fraunhofer ISE.
Professor Lam Khin Yong, NTU’s Acting Provost, Chief of Staff and Vice President for Research, said, “A global research powerhouse in sustainability, NTU is proud to be partnering with VDE Renewables and Fraunhofer ISE, prominent industry and research leaders in energy generation and storage solutions. Leading NTU’s efforts in this initiative is ERI@N with its expertise and networks in the Global Energy Storage Competence Cluster (GECC) will help ensure that industry requirements in the Asian region are met. More importantly, Asia would be able to benefit from the latest developments in energy storage from other parts of the world, thanks to the close network of the GECC.”
The GECC launch ceremony was held during the opening of the Asia Clean Energy Summit in the presence of Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Dr. Koh Poh Koon, Lim Kok Kiang, Assistant Managing Director of the Singapore Economic Development Board, Prof. Lam Khin Yong from NTU, Ansgar Hinz, from the VDE Association, and Dario Danelutti, Managing Director of Allianz Climate Solutions.
“We are glad that VDE Renewables has chosen Singapore as its regional base to serve Asia, a key growth market for energy storage. The launch of the VDE Energy Storage Prime Lab in Singapore, in collaboration with esteemed partners Fraunhofer ISE and ERI@N, will increase the vibrancy of Singapore’s clean energy ecosystem. The bankability certification for energy storage systems will also be a highly differentiated offering which will strengthen Singapore’s value proposition in energy management and microgrids,” concluded Lim Kok Kiang, Assistant Managing Director at the Singapore Economic Development Board.
