Iljin Electric moves into DC power transmission device market

Iljin Electric, an integrated heavy electric device unit of South Korea's Iljin Group, will participate in the domestic MVDC (medium-voltage direct current) power device demonstration project.

The company announced on Thursday that it will supply 35-kV MVDC eco-friendly polypropylene cable to a demonstration project to test DC power transmission being underway in Naju, South Jeolla Province.

It will also supply DC-only power converters such as 5-kV DC converters and 750V DC inverters, and an independent microgrid energy management system (EMS) that controls power supply and demand.

According to Korea's 10th power supply plan, the Korean government will bring up the proportion of renewable energy generation from the current 7% to 21.5% by 2030 for achieving the carbon neutrality goals.

DC microgrids have higher energy transmission efficiency by up to 20% than AC power grids.

They employ renewable energy sources for power generation and therefore provide clean energy.

These various renewable sources from different sites are combined together to form DC grids which ensure efficient utilization of generated energy.

In order to efficiently deliver renewable energy produced in DC to factories, buildings and homes in Korea where electricity infrastructure is AC-based, it is required to set up separate DC power grids.

Market research firm Navigant Research forecast the global market for DC power grids will swell to $22.7 billion by 2030.

Write to Ji-Eun Jeong at jeong@hankyung.com