新加坡：随着电价持续攀升，越来越多能源密集型企业开始主动削减高峰时段的用电量——这背后，是能源市场管理局（EMA）一项奖励机制的强力推动。
EMA表示，参与其“需求响应计划”的企业数量已从2023年的4家猛增至今年的16家，而作为电网与企业之间桥梁的服务提供商数量也翻倍，从3家增至6家。
该计划主要面向制造业等高耗能企业，允许它们在电网负荷高峰期主动减少用电，并因此获得现金奖励。目前，参与企业累计削减的电力负荷已达167兆瓦（MW），足以支撑约30万户四房式组屋一小时的用电需求。
计划如何运作？
EMA指出，需求响应旨在缓解电网压力，稳定电价。企业可通过电力零售商或聚合商注册，若能承诺削减至少0.1兆瓦的用电量，也可直接加入。
企业需提前在批发市场“竞标”其可削减的用电量。当电价飙升或供电紧张时，EMA将激活这些承诺，企业随即通过关闭非关键设备、启用电池储能或备用发电机等方式降低用电。
作为回报，企业每削减1兆瓦时电力，最高可获得4500新元（约合3500美元）的激励金——这正是新加坡批发电力市场的电价上限。
但若企业未能完成承诺，削减量低于80%的最低标准，不仅无奖励，还将面临财务罚款；若持续表现不佳，甚至可能被暂停参与资格。
成本飙升，企业转向储能方案
然而，并非所有企业都能轻易“关灯省电”。对于冷链物流、数据中心等24小时不间断运行的行业，单纯削减用电并不现实。
于是，企业纷纷转向电池储能系统——在用电低谷时充电，高峰时放电，实现“削峰填谷”。
Blue Whale Energy公司CEO林嘉伟表示，自今年3月霍尔木兹海峡油气运输受阻、电价暴涨以来，客户对储能系统的需求激增。一家冷房客户月电费从12月的5万新元飙升至3月的8.5万新元。
“那些电费占运营成本大头的企业，受电价冲击最严重，”林嘉伟说。该公司订单量自危机爆发以来飙升151%，部署的储能系统数量已从去年的3套增至本月的14套，年底有望突破40套。
太阳能扩张与能源自主
除了“节流”，新加坡也在大力“开源”。EMA太阳能与电网解决方案总监陈紫云表示，过去一年，新加坡太阳能装机容量增长约30%，从2024年底的1.6吉瓦峰值跃升至2025年底的约2.1吉瓦峰值，目标是2030年前达到至少3吉瓦峰值。
随着太阳能板成本下降和融资渠道增多，企业与家庭安装光伏系统的回报周期已缩短至五年以内。
但EMA也指出，受限于土地资源和太阳能的间歇性，太阳能仅能满足新加坡约10%的电力需求——这意味着，该国仍需大量依赖电力进口。
对此，香港能源咨询公司Lantau Group合伙人David Broadstock博士警告：随着全球能源安全意识提升，邻国正越来越倾向于“自用优先”，未来可能不再轻易“放行”电力出口至新加坡。
“可再生能源是明智之路，但要实现大规模进口，必须先投入巨额资金升级电网基础设施，”他强调，“目前的电网，还远不足以承载我们期望引入的所有电力。”
面对电价持续波动，业界普遍认为，更多企业将加速布局综合能源管理方案——太阳能、储能与需求响应三管齐下。
“这或许是新加坡能源主权的转折点，”Blue Whale Energy的林嘉伟说，“我们必须尽可能多地发展本地可再生能源，因为每一度由太阳能板发出的电，都意味着我们少进口一度电。”
FIRMS TURN TO ALTERNATIVES AS COSTS SURGE
But not all firms can easily cut usage. For sectors such as cold chain logistics or data centres, where operations run round the clock, reducing power consumption is not always feasible.
Instead, companies are increasingly turning to battery storage systems.
These systems store electricity when demand is lower and release it when needed. This helps firms better manage costs.
Blue Whale Energy, which provides such systems, said interest has surged since disruptions to oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz began in March, driving sharp increases in electricity prices.
One of its cold room clients saw its monthly bill rise from about S$50,000 in December to S$85,000 by March, noted CEO Gabriel Lim.
Mr Lim said his company’s sales pipeline has jumped 151 per cent since the crisis began.
The firm is scaling up quickly, from three systems deployed last year to about 14 by the end of this month, and potentially 40 by year-end.
Battery energy storage systems allow businesses to store electricity and manage costs. “Customers who consume a lot of electricity, where electricity is a very large and core part of their cost of goods … have been disproportionately impacted by the surge in wholesale electricity prices,” he said.
He added that businesses are combining solutions such as solar panels, battery storage and demand response to cope with rising costs.
SOLAR EXPANSION AND ENERGY RESILIENCE
Beyond managing demand, Singapore is also expanding supply through solar as part of efforts to strengthen energy resilience.
Ms Violet Chen, director of solar and grid solutions at EMA, said solar capacity has grown strongly, rising by about 30 per cent over the past year from 1.6 gigawatt peak at end-2024 to around 2.1 gigawatt peak by end-2025.
Singapore is working towards a target of at least 3 gigawatt-peak of solar capacity by 2030.
Falling solar panel costs and new financing options are also making adoption more attractive for both businesses and households, with some able to recover installation costs in under five years, she added.
However, solar energy alone is expected to meet only about 10 per cent of Singapore’s electricity needs, according to the EMA, as limited land and the intermittent nature of solar power constrain how much can be deployed.
Floating solar panels in Singapore. This means the country will still need to rely on imports for a significant share of its electricity. But analysts warn that this may not be straightforward.
Dr David Broadstock, partner at the Lantau Group, a Hong Kong-based energy consultancy, said countries are increasingly looking to produce electricity “as close to home as they can” to improve energy resilience.
This could affect Singapore’s ability to import low-carbon electricity, as neighbouring countries may reconsider whether it would make sense to “let it escape the country” as energy supplies tighten.
He noted that while renewable energy is a “very sensible pathway”, scaling it up will require significant investment in grid infrastructure to support imports and ensure a stable supply.
“There’s simply not enough of that in place at the moment to cope with everything that we hope to be able to bring in,” he added.
As electricity prices remain volatile, industry players say more businesses are expected to explore ways to better manage their energy use.
“I think this is probably a defining moment for Singapore, where we think about our energy sovereignty,” said Blue Whale Energy’s Mr Lim.
“It’s important that we really build as many renewable energy sources as possible, because every single kilowatt hour that's generated by a solar panel is a kilowatt hour that we don't have to import,” he added.
