[Report] LGU+ "Saving 200 Million KRW Annually on R&D Center Electricity Bills with Solar Power"

LGU+ Daejeon R&D Center Solar Power Facility to be Completed in June
Module Installation Underway...Replacing 9% of Annual Electricity
"Total Investment of 2.9 Billion KRW from Facility Construction to Management"

"Using solar power generation facilities can save 200 million KRW annually on electricity bills at the Daejeon R&D Center" (Cheon Hong-gi, Head of ESG Promotion Office, LG Uplus)

On the afternoon of the 28th, at the LG Uplus Daejeon R&D Center parking lot, workers are lifting solar power modules onto a crane. Photo by Hwang Seoyul chestnut@

On the afternoon of the 28th, at the parking lot of LG Uplus Daejeon R&D Center, two workers on the ground handed solar modules (panels) to workers on a crane, which then moved toward the structure. As the workers on the crane filled the empty space, a large, neat rectangular solar power facility was completed. Cheon explained, "Considering the realistically low power generation in the morning and evening, this can replace 9% of the annual electricity consumption, saving 200 million KRW in electricity costs."

LG Uplus is installing solar power generation facilities on 4,862㎡ of vacant spaces such as the parking lot, playground, and dormitory at the Daejeon R&D Center, which is used as an education and experience facility. The modules (devices that collect solar energy) and inverters (devices that convert direct current to alternating current) from HD Hyun Energy Solutions used in the facility number 1,740 and 9 respectively, with a capacity of 1,044 kW. This facility can produce approximately 1,371,816 kWh of electricity annually. Through the solar power generation facility, about 630 tons of greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced each year. Construction, which began in December last year, is expected to be completed by mid-next month, with about 85% of the work completed so far. The space beneath the installed modules is used as a parking lot and staff rest area.

Lee Hong-ryeol, Head of ESG Promotion Office at LG Uplus, is explaining the solar power distribution box installed in the underground electrical room. Photo by Hwang Seo-yul chestnut@

The electricity collected by the solar panels is converted at the inverter installed on one side of the ground site and then moves to the underground electrical room’s distribution box (a device that controls electrical distribution), the final destination. Currently, the center’s electricity is supplied by Korea Electric Power Corporation, but once the facility is completed, electricity generated by solar power will be used together, reducing electricity costs.

According to LG Uplus, the solar power facility installed at the Daejeon R&D site is the largest scale among telecommunications operators when considering self-consumption. Lee Hong-ryeol, Head of ESG Promotion Office, said, "The site is the largest, and since regulations on solar power facility installation vary by local government, this location was chosen for the most efficient installation," adding, "A total of 2.9 billion KRW was invested from facility construction to management costs."

LG Uplus plans to continuously expand the use of renewable energy not only at the Daejeon R&D Center but also at other office buildings. Solar power generation facilities with capacities of 13.8 kW and 61.36 kW are operated at the Pyeongchon Mega Internet Data Center (IDC) and Pyeongchon 2 Center, respectively. Lee said, "We are installing solar power facilities on recently constructed buildings such as the Magok new office and are actively considering expanding facilities at the Paju Internet Data Center (IDC)."

Earlier, LG Uplus declared the ‘2050 Carbon Neutrality’ goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and convert 100% of electricity consumption to renewable energy. In 2022, they joined 'K-RE100,' which submits renewable energy usage status through the Korea Energy Agency’s management system and receives certification, concretizing their energy transition plan.