News Centre

Future of smart energy

22 July 2010

Pylon

Senior business figures from Korea have visited the University as part of a European tour to discover current developments in UK smart grid research and development programmes.

The Korea Smart Grid Association (KGSA) recently visited the School of Engineering’s Institute of Energy to view its large-scale facilities and meet world-leading researchers in the field of low carbon technologies.

The Institute hosted the 33-strong delegation, consisting of senior figures from large utilities and industry, to heavy electrical engineering and information technology, including Samsung Electronics, Korea Telecom, Korea Power Exchange, Hyosung and LS Industrial Systems.

The School’s Institute of Energy is a pioneering research centre which aims to advance energy technology and contribute to the transformation of a low carbon society. It brings together academics from a variety of backgrounds to undertake high-impact and internationally-competitive research.

The visit was an opportunity to inform the Korean delegation about what the University is doing to advance current developments in smart grid research, as well as to get up to date with Korean initiatives.

Korea is committed to driving the use of smart grid technology and is currently developing a large demonstration on Jeju Island, with the aim of connecting 6,000 homes into a fully integrated smart-grid system.

Professor Nick Jenkins, Director of the Institute of Energy, said: "Smart Grids are seen increasingly as an essential element of our future energy system. Korea is making important progress in their design and demonstration.

"This visit was incredibly valuable in not only explaining to us the Smart Grid developments in Korea but also in showcasing our own developments in this area. It has helped open up a dialogue in what can be a rather confusing, fast moving area".

Smart Grid technology is a collection of hardware and software that works together to enable increases in network efficiency. The Institute of Energy is leading the way in developing expertise in smart metering, the gas network and district heating.

The visit was co-organised by the Welsh Assembly Government and supported by the British Embassy in Seoul, UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Science and Innovation Network, UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) and the Energy Generation and Supply Knowledge Transfer Network (EGS KTN).