[Courtesy of LS Electric]
Fault currents reduce the stable power supply and lifespan of power equipment, and cause power outages. Because power lines in South Korea are relatively short and interlinked with each other compared to other countries, a fault current can lead to large-scale power cuts. According to LS Electric, such accidents are becoming more common due to the expansion of renewable energy and distributed power generation systems. Superconducting fault current limiters (SFCLs) can limit such incidents by converting the size of the fault current to the average current level within a few milliseconds.
LS Electric said in a statement that it has worked with Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), a state power company, to build a demonstration facility for SFCLs in Gochang, about 220 kilometers (137 miles) southwest of Seoul. LS Electric said the company's SFCL products have the world's largest distribution capacity despite their extremely small size. After a test run, the South Korean power solution provider will commercialize in the domestic market and export them into overseas superconducting devices markets.
"SFCLs will become essential devices in the electrical power systems sector that are steadily becoming larger and more complicated because of increased power use and expansion of renewable energy," an unnamed LS Electric official said in a statement on June 15.
reporter
Kim Joo-heon
jhkim123@ajunews.com
