The 10th BIXPO (Bightgaram International Electric Technology Expo), a global energy industry expo hosted by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), kicked off on November 6th under the theme "Journey to the Future of Energy."
The three-day event, held at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Gwangju, featured over 150 companies from around the world showcasing their latest energy technologies.
In his opening speech, KEPCO President Kim Dong-chul emphasized the urgent need to address the global energy crisis. "We are facing the most severe heatwave in Earth's history," he said. "Besides the extreme natural disasters caused by climate change, we must also cope with the surging demand for electricity due to the growth of advanced industries and the energy security crisis caused by the ongoing war."
Kim stressed the importance of achieving carbon neutrality, revamping the power grid infrastructure, and developing new energy technologies. "At this BIXPO, we will provide insights into the future of energy and new business opportunities," he said. "I encourage you to experience the latest technologies from global energy companies at our inaugural 'Unpacked' event."
Choi Nam-ho, Second Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy, highlighted the expanding opportunities for South Korea's power industry. "The recent global expansion of renewable energy, electrification across all sectors, and the massive electricity demand of advanced industries such as artificial intelligence have presented new opportunities for our power industry," he said. "We will focus our policy efforts on enabling our companies to seize these global energy and power industry growth opportunities and expand beyond the domestic market."
A notable highlight of this year's BIXPO was the inaugural "Unpacked" event, showcasing cutting-edge technologies. In response to the growing need for energy storage systems (ESS) to address frequency fluctuations and accommodate the increasing penetration of renewable energy, KEPCO unveiled a supercapacitor for frequency regulation. This supercapacitor, with its fast charging and long lifespan, has been successfully demonstrated in a 1MW-scale pilot system.
Standard Energy introduced a vanadium energy tile designed for distributed ESS applications in urban buildings and spaces. This wall-mounted battery offers safe power storage in a tile format.
HD Hyundai Electric showcased the world's first 1MW-class direct current (DC) distribution system. By integrating the design and development of DC power distribution equipment, the company claims to have achieved a 5% increase in energy efficiency, resulting in annual electricity savings of 47 MWh and a reduction of 22 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
LS Cable announced a new floating offshore wind power submarine cable. Given the challenges of designing conventional cables for the dynamic environment of floating structures, LS Cable has developed a dynamic cable capable of withstanding the movement of floating platforms. The company has already completed the development of a 70kV dynamic cable and is aiming to develop a 345kV cable in the future.
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