South Korea to connect 1GW renewable energy by 2030 using grid-tied ESS

South Korea's government is set to boost renewable energy integration by installing energy storage systems (ESS) on existing distribution lines. This initiative aims to connect 1 gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy by 2030, particularly addressing grid saturation issues in the Honam region.

The Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Environment announced on Thursday that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with nine selected companies for the "Distribution Network Energy Storage System Construction Support Project." This five-year project, starting this year, will utilize ESS to store surplus electricity on existing lines. The stored power can then be supplied back to the grid when capacity becomes available, circumventing the need for new grid infrastructure.

Currently, the widespread installation of renewable energy facilities faces limitations due to saturated power grids. The Honam and Jeju regions are particularly affected, with substations and distribution lines reaching their capacity limits. This prevents solar power projects from connecting to the grid, forcing them to wait or causing existing connected power plants to undergo forced output controls.

An earlier government survey identified 136 distribution lines nationwide experiencing grid saturation, with 111 of them concentrated in the Honam region. Through a competitive bidding process, 32 distribution lines in the Honam region were selected for this project. Each selected line will be equipped with a 4-megawatt (MW) ESS. This is expected to allow an additional 5.7MW of solar power capacity, currently awaiting grid connection, to be integrated.

The government's goal is to deploy approximately 700MW of ESS across 136 distribution lines by 2030, thereby connecting an additional 1GW of renewable energy. In regions like Honam and Jeju, where demand for renewable energy connections is high, the deployment of ESS on distribution networks is projected to enable an additional 1,350 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of solar power generation annually. This is equivalent to the daily power needs of about 50,000 households running solely on renewable energy.

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This project will establish an integrated system of energy storage devices and renewable energy, stabilizing the power grid and accelerating the era of renewable energy as the primary power source. The government will actively support this.