Korean utility expands its smart-grid test complex
Korea Electric Power Company (KEPCO) will work with IBM to build a “Total Operations Center” at its Jeju Smart Grid Test-Bed Demonstration Complex.
The complex is the world’s largest smart-grid community established for smart grid research and testing. The new operations center will allow the 160 companies and 11 consortia members operating at the Jeju Complex to collect and manage information on all international markets, and monitor smart-grid systems and data exchange.
“Operating the smart grid involves implementing a flexible management strategy that takes into consideration the various application standards, development speeds and requirements of that particular region,” said Park Jong-man, Deputy General Manager at the integrated control center of KEPCO’s Jeju Demonstration Complex. “This collaboration with IBM allows KEPCO to create a model based on international standards, such as CIM that can be used to infuse intelligence into any smart-grid infrastructure.”
“This collaboration with KEPCO will not only improve operational efficiencies at the complex but will also help drive the development of international standard technologies in the Korean smart grid market — allowing domestic businesses to operate and compete at an international level,” said Guido Bartels, general manager for Energy and Utilities industry at IBM and Chairman of the Global Smart Grid Federation.
The Total Operations Center will enable KEPCO to implement a standards-based system that incorporates existing applications, data services and hardware from participating members of the project. The center is aimed at helping to build a flexible test-bed that enables data management and reporting for all of the systems and processes being tested.
The Jeju Smart Grid Demonstration Test-Bed project builds upon the Korean government’s smart-grid strategy, which aims to strengthen energy security, promote economic growth and reduced environmental impacts by bringing together smart technologies across the areas of generation, power grid, electrical service, buildings and transportation.
