Ministry of Industry Launches Pilot Operation for Power Supply Using Solar-Linked ESS... Fire Safety Testing Conducted

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will conduct a "Pilot Operation for Power Supply and Demand Utilization of Solar-Linked ESS" from the 4th of this month until July 12th.

This pilot operation was promoted to explore ways to utilize solar-linked ESS as a power supply and demand resource. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), Korea Power Exchange, Korea Energy Agency, and Korea Electrical Safety Corporation will jointly implement the pilot to test the feasibility of power supply and demand utilization by adjusting the charging and discharging times of solar-linked ESS, as well as fire safety.

The pilot operation period will be conducted for six weeks starting in August, when power demand is expected to be high during the summer power supply and demand countermeasure period. Fifteen sites were selected mainly among locations where personnel capable of monitoring equipment status are stationed, through prior consultation with related industries, considering battery and PCS manufacturers and equipment capacity.

The operation plan will adjust the charging and discharging times to enable concentrated discharging during the summer peak hours (3 PM to 6 PM), instead of the current method of charging during a fixed time (10 AM to 4 PM) and discharging at the operator’s discretion. This will evaluate operational reliability, safety, and output limitation performance.

During the pilot operation period, charging and discharging times will be as follows: charging from 9 AM to 3 PM from Tuesday to Saturday, then discharging from 3 PM or 4 PM to 8 PM on the same day. On Sundays, when power demand is low, only partial charging of the ESS capacity will be performed. Additional charging will be done on Monday morning, followed by discharging during the high-demand afternoon hours.

The Ministry and related power agencies will monitor risk factors such as ESS temperature increases that may occur due to changes in charging and discharging times to verify ESS fire safety. They will also prepare fire prevention measures to ensure equipment safety.

After the pilot operation, the Ministry plans to specify ways to utilize solar-linked ESS as a power supply and demand resource by adjusting charging and discharging times according to seasonal demand characteristics and will continuously increase its utilization.

An official from the Ministry stated, "We expect that the utilization of ESS will be further activated as discharging will be concentrated during power peak hours through this pilot operation."

He added, "Based on the know-how accumulated through the pilot operation, the fire safety and control performance of ESS will be advanced, which is also expected to contribute to enhancing industrial competitiveness."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.