The Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) is opening up a future for AI-based distributed energy with Korea's leading 'Proactive VPP' technology.

The Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) recently announced that the 'Proactive VPP (Preemptive Virtual Power Plant)' technology developed by Dr. Gil-Seong Byun's team at the Energy Platform Research Center was selected as the '2025 Outstanding Research Achievement of a Government-funded Research Institute' and received the National Research Council of Science and Technology (NST) Chairman's Award.

This technology, an advanced virtual power plant operation system based on AI and digital twins, is attracting attention as a key technology that will open the future of the domestic distributed energy market.

Proactive VPP boasts far superior accuracy compared to existing technologies, reducing solar power generation forecasting errors to within 5% on average per year and wind power to within 9%.

It also has high-speed control capabilities that can simultaneously manage 200 ESS units, 150 electric vehicles, and 100 HVAC units within one minute.

Unlike existing VPPs that operate only a few dozen resources, this VPP can integrate and operate hundreds of renewable and sector-coupled resources (gas, heat, etc.) as a single virtual battery, offering superior scalability and flexibility.

The recent spread of AI technology has led to a surge in electricity demand.As supply instability increases due to delays in power plant construction, regional ‘distributed energy’ systems are emerging as an alternative.

Distributed energy based on eco-friendly resources such as solar power, wind power, electric vehicles, and ESS is a future energy model that is both economical and sustainable.

On the other hand, VPP technology is essential to solve the volatility problem of renewable energy.

KERI's Proactive VPP achieved a high compliance rate of 8% or less through actual power market demonstrations, demonstrating the reliability and feasibility of the technology. This serves as a foundation for reducing dependence on foreign technology and increasing the potential for domestic technology to enter the global market.

This achievement will contribute to achieving carbon neutrality by ensuring grid stability and increasing acceptance as renewable energy expands. Furthermore, it is expected to create new jobs and industrial opportunities by activating regional distributed energy markets. The ripple effects will also be significant, including increased convenience for citizens, reduced energy costs for companies, and innovation in business models.

Dr. Byun Gil-seong stated, “We have completed advanced VPP technology that integrates and operates various distributed energies at the actual grid level for the first time in Korea.” He added, “In particular, the technology for flexibly controlling sector coupling resources is world-class, and if linked to government policies, it is possible to secure leadership in overseas markets as well.”

Going forward, the research team plans to evolve VPP technology into an autonomous VPP capable of self-learning and decision-making by incorporating next-generation AI utilizing large-scale language models (LLMs). Furthermore, by expanding sector coupling resources and advancing optimization technologies, the team aims to develop VPP into a core operational technology for the smart energy era.