Power Instability Grows with AI Expansion... 'Distributed Energy' Emerges as the Solution

KERI Develops Korea's Leading 'Proactive VPP' Technology
Precision Control of Solar and Wind Power with Less Than 9% Error

Recently, with the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, electricity consumption has surged, while delays in the construction of power plants and transmission lines have increased the instability of power supply. As a result, 'distributed energy' systems, which produce and consume energy at the local level, are gaining attention as a new alternative.

Distributed energy is based on renewable sources such as solar and wind power, as well as electric vehicles and energy storage systems (ESS). It enables efficient power management without the need for large-scale power plants or long-distance transmission networks, making it an energy model that is recognized for both its economic viability and sustainability.

Dr. Kilseong Byun of KERI is explaining the 'Proactive VPP' technology, which was selected as an 'Outstanding Research Achievement of Public Research Institutes in 2025'. Provided by KERI

Amid these trends, the 'Proactive Virtual Power Plant (Proactive VPP)' technology developed by Dr. Gilseong Byun's team at the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) is attracting attention. This technology is considered a key solution that can fundamentally address the volatility of renewable energy by integrating and operating distributed resources throughout the region using AI and digital twin technology.

The Proactive VPP has achieved approximately twice the accuracy of existing domestic commercial technologies (10-15%) by reducing solar power generation forecasting errors to within 5% and wind power to within 9%. It has also secured high-speed integrated control capabilities, enabling simultaneous control of 200 ESS units, 150 electric vehicles, and 100 heating and cooling systems within one minute. Unlike conventional VPPs, which were limited to dozens of units, this technology can integrate and operate hundreds of sector-coupling resources-including renewable, gas, and thermal sources-as a single virtual battery, which is a significant advantage.

Concept diagram of 'Proactive Virtual Power Plant' developed by Dr. Kilseong Byun's team at Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI). Provided by KERI

In actual power market demonstrations, the technology proved its effectiveness and stability by achieving a command execution rate within 8%. This has established a foundation for technological independence in the VPP sector, which previously relied on foreign technology.

With this achievement, KERI has published multiple SCI-level papers, secured 10 domestic and international patents, and obtained 20 intellectual property rights. Recently, it was selected by the National Research Council of Science & Technology (NST) as an 'Excellent Research Achievement of Public Research Institutes in 2025,' receiving the Chairman's Award.

Dr. Gilseong Byun stated, "For the first time in Korea, we have completed a technology that integrates and operates various distributed resources at the actual power grid level," adding, "We plan to further develop this into an 'autonomous VPP' that learns and makes decisions on its own by combining next-generation AI, such as large language models (LLMs)."

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