Since its founding in its original incarnation in September 1977, the Korean Institute of Energy Research (KIER) has pursued its core mission of supporting the South Korean economy through achievements in energy-related research.
As part of this, KIER also aims to play a role toward securing a global position for the Korean energy sector by actively participating in multilateral initiatives such as RD20 that aim to develop rational energy measures to protect energy security, economic growth and the environment.

Promoting Korean technology with carbon neutrality a focus

As KIER’s Chief of Global Strategy Dr. Sangjin Choi explains, the Institute — which comes under the bailiwick of the Ministry of Science and Information/Communication Technology (MSIT) — is one of his country’s government-funded research organizations. Approximately half of KIER’s funding comes directly from the government, with the balance coming from revenues generated through research and development contracts and the like.
Beginning life as the Korean Institute of Energy Conservation, KIER’s mission remains taking the lead in research activities to address both the nation’s energy security and carbon neutrality issues, according to KIER President Yi Chang-Keun. The goal, Yi says, is to promote what KIER calls “K-Energy” — a synthesis of technologies, businesses, products and people in South Korea that can achieve innovations in energy technology to solve some of the world’s key energy dilemmas.
KIER’s activities are carried out at its headquarters and four regional centers for hydrogen, clean energy, advanced energy technology and global research. The Institute has four functions: expanding technology commercialization, fostering small and midsize enterprises, establishing energy technology policies, and disseminating excellent technologies.
KIER’s goal is for K-Energy to serve as a new growth engine for the nation by encouraging the creation of technologies packaged to be transferred directly to business and eventually penetrate global markets.

International collaboration key

Aside from its domestic activities, KIER is also active in pursuing collaboration with numerous foreign institutions, Choi says. The fact that many of these partners are also members of the RD20 initiative, he adds, has only helped to deepen contact among the parties involved, with members meeting on the sidelines to reinforce their connections.
To give one example, Choi notes that KIER has developed a close relationship with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) of the United States. The two institutes have been collaborating for several decades now, and this past January signed their latest memorandum of understanding (MOU) for collaboration in renewable energy research and technology development. NREL and KIER are currently preparing collaborative projects related to solar power, hydrogen and smart grids.
Another example, says Choi, is the linked series of agreements with the institutions with Germany’s Fraunhofer research alliance: the Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS, the Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM and the Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES. The goal here is to deepen the exchanges between KIER and the three Fraunhofer institutes on hydrogen, photovoltaics and wind energy topics.
Other international partners for KIER include Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and National Research Council Canada (NRC). Choi says that the Institute also hopes to work with Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).
While some of these relationships may predate the creation of the RD20 initiative, Choi hastens to add that RD20 has had a major role to play in their further development. “Thanks to RD20, we have built a very solid network, especially with NREL, Fraunhofer and NRC. Having that solid network, I think, may have even made it easier for us to renew our MOU with NREL. This is very big commitment for both parties, and I think the RD20 initiative is what enabled KIER to become close with them, and in fact the other organizations as well,” Choi says.

The road ahead

Looking to the future of the RD20 initiative, Choi — who will be co-moderating a technical session on the theme of “AI and digitalization to accelerate research for energy technology innovation, development and deployment” at this year’s RD20 conference — believes that raising awareness about RD20 will be key. Crucially, he argues, this must begin at home.
Using South Korea as an example, Choi says: “We have been sharing information about RD20 conferences and the like with the MSIT and other government agencies. They are aware of its existence, but they don’t see the importance of it yet.” Once government agencies recognize this not just in South Korea but in RD20 member institutes in other countries as well, he believes, then the research institutions may be able to obtain more funding to further pursue projects through the RD20 initiative.
Choi argues that one way to achieve this might be for the RD20 grouping itself to do work that generates definite outcomes.
“Within the RD20 conference, we have two kinds of meetings. There are sessions among the leaders that focus on the direction of RD20 itself, and then there are technical sessions and workshops where researchers join to discuss topics within their areas of expertise, and such specific points as core technologies for clean energy. We have discussed some areas to develop further, but I think it’s time to get some tangible results,” he says.
One avenue that Choi suggests is to pursue some specific, small project focused on definite outcomes. For example, he says, in carbon capture, utilization and storage, South Korea could capture carbon for storage in another country such as Australia or the U.S. that has a greater capacity to handle it. Choi argues that even a small project of this sort could provide research institutions in the respective partner countries with evidence to provide to their respective funding agencies of the value of working through the RD20 initiative.
Already in the six or so years that RD20 has been in existence, Choi adds, he has been quite impressed with the work that members of the RD20 Action Committee have been doing to move the initiative forward despite being very busy with their commitments to their own home institutions. He recently obtained observer status at that body himself, and expressed his admiration for the efforts the members are putting in.
Choi also added his appreciation for the work that AIST has been doing to keep the initiative going and expressed his hope that the conference will see good discussions and lead to further awareness of the work that is being done thanks to the initiative that RD20 provides.