The Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI) has commenced the establishment of a safety verification system based on marine battery operation data. The core of this project is to secure a foundation for battery life prediction and verification/certification by setting up a hub platform that collects and analyzes data specific to the marine environment.

On the 15th, KETI held a kick-off meeting for the 'Technology Development for Building a Marine Battery Data Hub Platform' project, supported by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Korea Institute of Marine Science & Technology Promotion (KIMST), at the Commodo Hotel in Busan. Approximately 50 people, including officials from the government, local governments, research institutes, and companies, attended the meeting to discuss the direction of the project and the roles of each organization.

Marine batteries require safety assessment and condition diagnostic systems different from those for land-based batteries. This is because batteries used in vessels, navigation aids, and underwater observation equipment are continuously exposed to salinity, vibration, and temperature changes. As the commercialization of electric propulsion vessels and the electrification of marine mobility expand, the need for a lifecycle management system based on actual operational data is also growing.

This project aims to develop technology that encompasses the entire cycle, from the collection of marine environment-specific data to analysis, verification, and standard linkage. It is promoted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and jointly supported by Jeollanam-do and Yeosu City, with a total of 25 billion won invested over five years until 2030.

The research is led by KETI and involves 13 participating organizations, including the Korea Maritime Safety and Security Agency, the Korea Research Institute of Shipbuilding & Marine Equipment, the Korea Lighthouse Technology Institute, and the Korea Testing Laboratory (KTL). KETI oversees the research and development, while the Korea Maritime Safety and Security Agency is responsible for ship demonstration, the Korea Lighthouse Technology Institute for navigational aid demonstration, and KTL for establishing the verification and certification system.

The consortium plans to develop a data hub platform based on an integrated marine and land edge cloud and AI-based analysis technology. In addition, it will establish a degradation model dedicated to marine batteries, a real-time continuous monitoring system, and technologies to ensure data reliability, utilizing them for verification, certification, and compliance with international standards.

Accumulated public demonstration data is expected to be linked to a foundation for private sector utilization through standardization and the provision of public APIs. Kwon Ki-won, Head of the Marine and Fisheries ICT Business Group at KETI, stated that securing demonstration data in the marine sector and establishing a system to respond to international standards will contribute to the co-growth of the domestic battery industry and demand companies.