LS Industrial establishes DC ecosystem on remote island with renewable energy

By Lim Chang-won Posted : August 19, 2019, 13:44 Updated : August 19, 2019, 13:44

[A captured image from LS Industrial Systems website.]


SEOUL -- LS Industrial Systems, a top electric cable manufacturer in South Korea, has completed a project to create a direct current (DC) eco-system on a remote island by using renewable energy with the aim of eliminating chronic power shortages in isolated areas and preempting key technologies,

LS Industry and KEPRI, a research unit of South Korea's state utility Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), launched the project in June 2016 to verify the operation of a low-pressure DC distribution network in Seogeochado, an island of 2.8 square kilometers in a national park in the southwestern county of Jindo.

The project was designed to established renewable energy sources that produce and store DC electricity such as 200kW solar power, 100kW wind power generation and a 1.5MWh energy storage system (ESS) instead of diesel generators.

LS Industrial said that it has created a DC ecosystem such as a direct current distribution network, an energy integration operating system, LED streetlights, electric carts and DC digital appliances, which increased energy efficiency by more than 10 percent by reducing power losses that occur when DC is converted into alternating current (AC).

As a result, LS Industrial said Seogeochado has turned into the world's largest DC island, which uses 100 percent DC direct both in power sources and distribution networks.

DC may flow in a constant direction. It may be converted from an AC supply with a rectifier, which contains electronic elements or electromechanical elements that allow current to flow only in one direction. DC is used to transmit large amounts of power from remote generation sites or to interconnect alternating current power grids.

DC distribution is growing in areas related to the 4th Industrial Revolution that consumes a lot of electricity along with long-distance transmission that requires the minimal loss of electricity. With accumulated DC distribution technology, KEPRI plans to establish a DC power system in buildings.
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