SINGAPORE (THE BUSINESS TIMES) - The Energy Market Authority (EMA) and Shell have issued a joint grant call targeted at small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to develop smart and clean energy solutions.

The joint grant call is supported by Enterprise Singapore under the Gov-PACT initiative. The initiative aims to assist SMEs and start-ups to collaborate and undertake innovative projects with the support of government agencies, to help them develop commercially viable solutions.

Successful SMEs, which can be part of a consortium, will see their solutions being deployed at Shell's service stations.

The grant call looks to develop smart energy management system solutions which integrate the use of solar power and energy storage systems (ESS).

The ESS would be used to power the service stations' operations and mitigate the intermittent nature of solar power, while also providing fast charging for electric vehicles (EVs).

The grant call is looking for an ESS equipped with enhanced cooling and fire safety features. If successful, this could pave the way for wider deployment of ESS at more service stations and support solar energy adoption in Singapore.

EMA chief executive Ngiam Shih Chun said: "The use of more solar energy and ESS will help to lower carbon emissions. This will also help Singapore achieve its solar and energy storage targets."

Shell City Solutions general manager Emily Tan added: "Offering faster, lower-carbon EV charging would provide drivers with more choice in decarbonisation."

The grant call builds on an existing partnership struck by EMA and Shell in 2019 to strengthen local capabilities in deploying smart energy solutions, especially for SMEs.

It allows interested SMEs to work alongside Shell to test-bed their solutions at three Shell service stations and build up commercial capabilities.

Registration for the grant call will close on Aug 6 at 12pm.