1. Project summary (background)

Seogeochado overcame the chronic power shortage by establishing a ‘DC ecosystem’. Street lamps that were often turned off were replaced with DC power light-emitting diode (LED). Home appliances such as TV refrigerators and air conditioners as well as carts that help the elderly walk were converted to DC power. As KEPCO and LS ELECTRI converted all of the existing AC power distribution networks to DC, the wires connecting the power poles also changed from three lines for alternating current (AC) to two lines. The synergy effect of Seogeochado’s ‘DC ecosystem’ is greater when it meets new and renewable energy. Solar power and wind power are typical DC power sources. With this project, a total of 500kW of power facilities, including 200kW of solar power, 100kW of wind power, and 200kW of emergency variable speed generators, will be additionally supplied to Seogeochado Island. In Seogeochado, with the DC microgrid construction, dozens of dryers in the seaweed drying field can be operated 24 hours using only solar and wind energy.

2. Objectives of the project

The project objectives due to the construction of Seogeochado DC Island are as follows:

• Creation of an energy-independent island through renewable power generation
• 10% energy efficiency improvement with DC power distribution network
• DC microgrid business model development

3. Current status & results (outcomes)

• Consists of wind power generation, solar power generation, ESS, variable speed diesel power generation, power converter, DC distribution line, and DC load, and is connected with the existing AC system by hybrid
• As the Seogeo-do DC microgrid operating system and operating procedure, the communication protocol is applied to integrate the SCADA system of the living-dwelling driveway and the Seogeo driveway in EMS
• A web server was built to enable remote system operation and management due to the difficulty of providing emergency support to the island area

4. Barriers & obstacles

In spite of numerous shortcomings, the current power distribution system is AC. This is because DC is difficult to transform. However, with the development of power semiconductor technology, DC can be easily transformed, and the situation has changed. For long-distance transmission, DC also loses less power than AC.

5. Lessons learned & best practices

The synergy effect of Seogeochado’s ‘DC ecosystem’ has grown as it met with new and renewable energy. Solar power and wind power are typical DC power sources. KEPCO plans to export the DC ecosystem model through this project. In Southeast Asia, where there are many islands, there are many regions where electricity penetration is as low as 60%. Energy self-reliance can be greatly increased by constructing a ‘DC microgrid’ that combines renewable energy, an energy storage system (ESS) system, and a DC power distribution network in remote areas where it is difficult to draw electricity.

6. Key regulations, legislations & guidelines

Existing energy law & regulation.

1. Project summary (background)

Seoul National University is counted every year as the space that uses the most energy in Seoul. However, when the ongoing “Campus Microgrid” project is completed, it is expected that such disgrace can be resolved. Stable and efficient use of power is required to maintain a large campus space and control the amount of unnecessary power used while conducting research and experiments day and night. ‘Microgrid’ is a future energy supply and demand system that will solve the power problem of Seoul National University. It refers to a power grid that generates and consumes electricity in a specific area independently from the existing wide area power system. Seoul National University is the first to be built on a domestic urban campus.

2. Objectives of the project

Development of a customized SNU Campus MG model to provide

• 4 hours islanding operation to critical loads
• 20% peak load reduction and energy cost saving by cell MG model
• Consumer participative energy-saving by IoT based Bigdata platform
• Multi-Microgrid operation with different cell types

3. Current status & results (outcomes)

• Developed as a customized campus microgrid that can be flexibly changed and applied according to customer needs
• Provides customized solutions for the smallest unit of sale by combining IoT-based cell platform and models for each campus building purpose
• Consists of a cell system area that efficiently operates energy and a cloud area that provides various services based on IoT

4. Barriers & obstacles

New roles within the existing energy law & legislation.

5. Lessons learned & best practices

• Through the demonstration project, various information such as power consumption, temperature, humidity, ventilation, etc. of the building is collected and analyzed, and distributed power such as solar and electric vehicles(V2G) and ESS are used together with power supplied from the existing power grid. Plan to reuse electricity during high energy prices
• Reduced electricity bills are reinvested to expand the introduction of new and renewable energy, or plan to use them to increase energy independence through replacement of old facilities such as low-efficiency air conditioners.
• From 2019, when the demonstration project is completed, some buildings, such as the Bio Research Building, can operate independently for 4 hours even if external power supply is cut off due to natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons, and 20% of the total electricity bill of Seoul National University can be reduced.
• It is expected to be able to systematically demonstrate the operation system constituting the microgrid, big data analysis, demand response, energy consumption pattern analysis, etc.

6. Key regulations, legislations & guidelines

Existing energy law & regulation.

1. Project summary (background)

The Couperus project addressed demand responds by connecting the different physical components in the grid and using the optimising algorithm “powermatcher” developed by TNO. For 300 new build apartments individual heat pumps were installed and connected to the medium level voltage grid with virtual wind power. Using automated demand respond, the heating of the apartments made use of the available renewable wind power while maintaining the desired comfort levels of the residents. Due to the thermal isolation of the apartments, the heat could be stored both in the building and in the soil.

2. Objectives of the project

The aim of the project was to investigate, test and demonstrate a grid configuration that maximises profits for all involved parties and is resilient with respect to future integration of renewable energy sources.

3. Current status & results (outcomes)

No complaints were received from the residents showing that it is possible to experiment without causing inconveniences. The project demonstrated that it is possible to shift loads and avoid expensive grid enforcement while integrating renewable energy sources, maintaining energy security and high comfort levels for the consumers. Some residents however do want to have more active control over their energy usage and insight into the different energy tariffs in time.

4. Barriers & obstacles

New roles within the existing energy law & legislation.

5. Lessons learned & best practices

It is possible to value the existing flexibility in the grid for several parties and use automated algorithms to optimise its usage according to the specific settings and programmed priorities.

6. Key regulations, legislations & guidelines

Existing energy law & regulation.