LG Chem and Samsung SDI compete with each other in an energy storage system (ESS) demonstration project with different types of secondary battery technologies.
In the smart grid distribution project led by the Korea Smart Grid Institute under the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, the consortiums of KT and the Korea Electric Power Industrial Development Corporation (KEPID), which have been selected as the preferred bidders, are predicted to adopt the batteries of LG Chem and Samsung SDI, respectively.
The purpose of the project is to save electricity at night, when the power rate is relatively lower, and use it during peak hours for more effective power supply. Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) monitors and controls household power usage remotely in real time.
Samsung SDI is going to focus on increasing the size of its small-capacity batteries while LG Chem applies the battery technology for electric vehicles. The former organizes a 200kWh ESS by linking four cells as small as an AAA battery. It is planning to outdo its competitor in terms of cost and performance by using products that have already been mass-produced and found their way into mobile devices. LG Chem, in the meantime, is making the most of its experience of the supply of mid-size batteries to GM’s electric cars.