A 55% increase in solar power capacity would require a 220% expansion of energy storage system (ESS) capacity to keep South Korea's power grid stable, according to a new analysis. Without competitive battery technology, including ESS, the country's energy security itself could be at risk.
A power grid study conducted by the Korea Power Exchange based on the 11th Basic Plan for Long-Term Electricity Supply and Demand, released on the 26th, found that the optimal ESS capacity for 2030, four years from now, is 6.08 gigawatts. That means ESS equivalent to the output of four nuclear reactors must be in place for solar power to run reliably and efficiently.
ESS units store electricity generated from sources such as solar power in chemical form and release it when needed. Without sufficient ESS on the grid, excess solar generation during summer months and daytime hours cannot be absorbed in time, throwing off the balance between power supply and demand and, in severe cases, raising the risk of large-scale blackouts.
Assuming solar capacity in 2030 rises about 55% above the level in the 11th electricity plan, in line with the Lee Jae-myung administration's basic plan for renewable energy, the required ESS capacity is estimated to reach 19.5 gigawatts.
Countries around the world have already begun competing to secure batteries for renewable energy. Shipments of ESS batteries totaled 461.3 gigawatt-hours in the first half of this year, up 71% from a year earlier, according to global market research firm SNE Research. "The battery industry is expanding beyond vehicles and ESS into artificial intelligence data centers and humanoid robots," said Lee Bo-ram, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy.
