The company to offer 2 STATCOM Units (154kV 50MVA) in Jeju Island
Hyosung is moving into the smart grid business full-throttle — taking on the next-generation of intelligent power grids, including coordinated renewable energy/power products and electric vehicle chargers.
The company said it was going to supply two 50MVA STATCOM’s (static compensators) to KEPCO’s New Jeju and Halla substations this September, which is the first such installation in the country.
The STATCOM units to be supplied this fall compensate for the voltage outputs lost during power transmission and help increase the overall stability of the transmission. With renewable power systems such as wind and solar power with weather-induced, highly variable power output, the equipment maintains output voltage at constant levels, ensuring a stable power supply. The machines are also part of the core facilities in FACTS (flexible AC transmission system).
With the recent surge of interest in renewable energy projects, FACTS facilities including the STATCOM are increasingly in high demand. Up until now, no commercial models built with local technology were available in the Korean market, which depended heavily on costly imports.
Preparing for its future technology leadership, Hyosung has been keen on basic R&D since the late 1990s, engaging in a variety of national-policy projects since 2006. With its continued efforts — in particular those with KEPCO, Hyosung has since become the first local company ever to develop a 345kV 100 MVA STATCOM, which was installed in KEPCO’s Migeum Substation. Moreover, the test drive of the substation was successfully completed.
The latest commercialization of the Hyosung STATCOM is expected to provide momentum for Korea’s renewable energy/power generation programs including wind power. Also, the company is scheduled to install its own STATCOM inventions at Jeju Island’s Haengwon Wind Farm by the end of 2010.
In addition, Hyosung launches full-fledged next-generation electric car charger programs. The charger is a power supply for electricity-operated vehicles, i.e., a “gas station” for electric cars. In May 2009, the company drew much attention from the trade industry when it showed off its electric car charger at the international smart grid and power facility convention. Additionally, a Hyosung-KEPCO joint project is being planned to establish charger stations by the end of the year.
