DNV KEMA Establishes Asian Centre of Excellence For Smart Grid in Singapore

The DNV KEMA Clean Technology Centre (CTC) in Singapore has opened an Asian Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Smart Grid and Renewable Energy Management, the company announced today. “The CoE will enable DNV KEMA to apply its global experience to support the Asia Pacific energy market in building a solid and more sustainable energy future,” says David Walker, CEO for DNV KEMA Energy & Sustainability.

The CoE will provide advisory services on the technical and business aspects of smart grids ranging from Advanced Metering Infrastructure deployment strategies, electricity market restructuring and grid infrastructure impact to market potential assessments. As renewable energy sources become integrated into the grid, advisory services covering both technical and electricity market design considerations will be key to facilitating the adoption of renewable energy (RE) in South East Asia.

A fast growing market

The Asia Pacific energy market is embracing rapid change, with smart grid technologies and RE resources playing an increasingly important role. Asia as a whole grew its investment in smart grid technologies and RE to US$ 5.6 billion in 2012, and new digital energy initiatives are underway in Japan, India, Korea and various South East Asian nations.

In smart grids, China is expected to overtake the US as the largest market in 2013, as stimulus-funded projects in the US come to an end and Chinese investment continues to grow. Already in 2012, China raised its investment from US$ 2.8 billion to US$ 3.2 billion, largely on the back of major smart metering procurement by the national State Grid Company.

Global RE investors are also increasingly looking towards South East Asia as a new destination for investment. The governments of six key ASEAN countries (Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore) have established ambitious goals to increase installed RE capacity over the next 20 years by a factor of 5 – 6 times greater than the capacity in 2010.

“We have been actively developing technologies, knowledge and market models to help governments and energy industry players overcome the complexities of these promising developments so they can reap the benefits of their investments,” states Walker.

Regional expertise

“Establishing a Centre of Excellence in Singapore is a key first step towards building a presence in the Asia Pacific region. DNV KEMA is bringing together the best specialists to establish strong technical and strategic advisory services. We aim to help Asia implement the right technologies to address the

challenges related to its power systems, focusing particularly on smart solutions to increase reliability,” says Dr Sanjay Kuttan, CTC Managing Director.

DNV KEMA has appointed Chan Eng Kiat as the CoE’s lead technology specialist. Chan brings over 30 years of industry experience and was previously Project Director at the Energy Market Authority, spearheading the Intelligent Energy System, a smart grid pilot, in Singapore.

Mr Goh Chee Kiong, Executive Director of Cleantech and Building & Infrastructure Solutions at Singapore Economic Development Board said, “We are pleased that DNV KEMA is launching this Centre of Excellence in Singapore to serve the fast-growing energy market in Asia. Smart grids and renewable energy management represent a new growth frontier which will help to further diversify Singapore’s vibrant Cleantech industry and serve Singapore’s national adoption needs. Through close partnership with government agencies, companies like DNV KEMA can leverage Singapore’s position as a ‘Living Laboratory’ to develop, test and commercialize their innovative solutions for global markets.”