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¡ã A guide explains the Smart Grid to students |
Electricity is absolutely essential to our daily lives. At work and at home, most goods we use run on electricity.
Electricity use has increased greatly in recent decades. If the electricity supply can’t meet the increasing demand, many power plants will need to make more electricity. As a result, CO2 emissions will increase, contributing to global warming.
To solve this problem, there is renewable energy, but it also has some problems. Firstly, even though we use renewable energy, it must be integrated into the established electricity grid. Secondly, it’s affected by the weather.
The Smart Grid is a system that makes renewable energy use more efficient. It updates existing facilities with cutting-edge IT to improve the management of the electricity supply.
The Smart Grid test project was initiated in Gujwa-eup and is now active in parts of downtown Jeju City that have also been designated Smart Grid testbeds. The project consists of five domains: smart place, smart transportation, smart renewable, smart power grid, and smart electricity market. The whole system costs 239 billion won.
At the KEPCO (Korea Electric Power Corporation) Experience Hall, a public relations center established by KEPCO in Gujwa-eup, you can experience several aspects of the Smart Grid, including a guided tour.
According to the guide, some people may find the system awkward because it’s difficult for elderly people to use and high costs are also a factor. This leads to questions around whether these set-backs might outweigh the Smart Grid’s potential benefits. Only time will tell.
If you want to get more information about the Smart Grid, visit the website: smartgrid.jeju.go.kr
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