EnTech Operation Support HubPop
All-in-One Cloud Platform
High-Quality and Stable Power Supply
[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) is accelerating its digital transformation for effective management from electricity production to supply. As the global ‘EnTech’ industry, which combines energy data and IT, leads innovation, KEPCO plans to accumulate and utilize data throughout the entire power grid process to stably supply high-quality electricity.
According to the energy industry on the 22nd, HUB-PoP, which supports KEPCO’s EnTech operations, is a representative digital platform based on cloud technology. It is characterized by providing various tools for the development of power applications (apps), service operation, and big data analysis. KEPCO is developing the ‘Intelligent Digital Power Plant (IDPP)’ platform using HUB-PoP in the power generation sector. This is to improve the current situation where the 10 million types of power plant field equipment data generated from about 400 large domestic power plants are not standardized, making storage and utilization difficult. It is expected to become an all-in-one cloud platform that can collect, standardize, store, and utilize vast amounts of data in real time, as well as develop application services.
KEPCO completed the first phase of development of the platform, consisting of 66 software modules, in April last year. Data is being acquired from 16 power plants of KEPCO’s five power generation subsidiaries and demonstrated at the IDPP Big Data Place within KEPCO’s Power Research Institute. Here, 12.4 billion pieces of field equipment operation information are standardized and accumulated daily. Big data, which had been managed separately by individual power companies, is now gathered in one place, maximizing the value of data utilization. Utilizing the data accumulated on the IDPP platform can optimize the operational efficiency of power plant equipment management.
KEPCO Research Institute is managing servers for digital platform operations at the Daejeon Internet Data Center. (Photo by Korea Electric Power Corporation)
The next-generation Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS) is also one of KEPCO’s major EnTech projects. ADMS enhances the efficiency of the distribution sector to enable customers to use electricity. ADMS installs sensors on distribution poles to collect electrical energy information, then provides storage, processing, analysis, and forecasting services. Its importance is increasing in response to changes in power supply flow caused by the growing installation of renewable energy sources, which show irregular power generation. The goal is to apply the ADMS platform nationwide by 2024. The installed platform uses open source to reduce annual maintenance costs and significantly cut system operation costs by responding to variability through integrated renewable energy control.
The Microgrid (MG) platform is also establishing itself as a core platform for small-scale energy solutions. It emerged as the global need for renewable energy and low-carbon energy supply systems increased. KEPCO has also developed an Energy Management System (EMS) platform for industrial complex MGs for small-scale energy solutions. This platform collects and processes real-time power equipment information, measurement, and metering data from facilities using renewable energy. It supports companies in reducing electricity bills and improving power quality by utilizing real-time demand response and output compensation service technologies. Commercial operation began in early 2021 at the TKG Taekwang Vina factory located in Dong Nai Province, Vietnam, with plans to continue until 2030. This is the world’s first new business model that supports continuous operation and management of the microgrid platform and monetizes the associated license fees. Recognized for its microgrid platform construction and operation technology, KEPCO is also carrying out the ‘Gumi Smart Green Industrial Complex Energy Self-Sufficiency Infrastructure Construction Project’ worth 39.5 billion KRW, commissioned by the government. The plan is to build renewable infrastructure and an intelligent microgrid platform targeting the Gumi industrial complex by the end of 2024.
KEPCO provides world-class performance in blackout time, voltage maintenance rate, and frequency maintenance rate through data utilization based on software platforms. In the future, through sharing accumulated data and developing application services, it is expected that personalized power services tailored to individual needs will be available. KEPCO Power Research Institute is conducting research to platformize the power system covering from generation to consumer areas. Lee Joong-ho, head of KEPCO Power Research Institute, stated, "By sharing power big data with the private sector, we will contribute to the creation of innovative new businesses in various EnTech fields," and added, "Using the power software platform developed by the Power Research Institute, we plan to lead the acceleration of digital transformation in the power sector, as well as reduce social costs through optimization of energy supply and consumption efficiency."
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