Smart grids in South Korea

"[2] The "smart" in a grid is achieved through an installed software rather than hardware, banking more on the element of intelligence for more consistent upgrades, patterns learning, and timely response to new technologies.

By early 2020 the spending of 27.5 trillion won over the next two decades on smart grids was to make electricity distribution more efficient, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save US$26 billion in energy imports.

Also, KEPCO had announced earlier in 2014 that it "would soon be buying electricity stored in car batteries through a vehicle-to-grid pilot scheme" to reduce on-peak demand generation.

The government committed to change laws to smooth the vehicle-to-grid program by the end of 2014, while the state-run electricity distributor will design a new price-charging system.

As part of these efforts, Korea launched a Smart Grid national project to achieve green growth in a transparent, comprehensive, effective, and efficient way.

In light of this, Korea came up with a proactive and ambitious plan to build a Smart Grid Test-bed on Jeju Island to prove its determination in the low carbon, green-growth strategy.

"[8] To address climate change, Korea has recognized the necessity of rolling out a Smart Grid as infrastructure for the low carbon, green industry in preparation for its binding reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.

Thus, once these 10 projects are complete, these two industries will play a critical role in propelling national economic growth and delivering innovative and high value-added electric power services.

KSGI aims to explore projects on the development of technology that encompasses the convergence of electric power and IT; support cooperation among industry, academia and research institute; pursue international cooperation and certification, standardization as well as security; and ultimately achieve low carbon green society to better the lives of people and improve the environment by building a nationwide Smart Grid.