South Korea: SK Energy opens new eco-friendly Super Station
The company has unveiled its latest facility, which independently produces electricity through its PV facility and fuel cell stacks.
SK Energy installed the first-ever Energy Super Station in its Bakmi location, transforming the station into an eco-friendly energy hub and solving the issues surrounding the lack of charging infrastructure for EVs. In addition, the company has set out on its mission to make carbon neutrality a reality.
Last February, SK Energy partnered with the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE) to push ahead with the Distributed Energy Invigoration Strategy Project. As a brainchild of the project, the company installed Korea’s first Energy Super Station at SK Bakmi Gas Station.
“Energy Super Station can be considered the first step to converting the existing traditional energy infrastructure into a green energy base. Starting from gas stations in Seoul, we are planning to establish about 3,000 Energy Super Stations across the country and contribute to carbon neutrality and the invigoration of the hydrogen economy,” said Oh Jong-hoon, Head of SK Energy P&M CIC.
This Energy Super Station installed in SK Bakmi Gas Station independently produces eco-friendly electricity through its PV facility (20.6kW) and fuel cell stacks (300kW). The fuel cell stacks generate electricity by creating a chemical reaction between the hydrogen and oxygen in the air.
Since the reactive substances, hydrogen and oxygen, are made available from the external source, there is no need to charge them like batteries. Moreover, since fuel cell stacks generate energy through an electrochemical reaction that does not have any combustion reaction of the fossil fuel, it produces less toxic pollutants than the existing internal combustion engines. It can also reduce the emission of carbon dioxide, making them environmentally friendly.
At the moment, SK Energy is selling the energy generated by its facility to Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), but once the relevant laws are amended, it aims to use the generated electricity to power two super-fast (350kW) and fast (100kW) EV charging stations. In the future, EV drivers will be able to charge their cars with “eco-friendly electricity” generated by eco-friendly power generation facilities.
