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MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development

global challenges, engineering solutions
 

Sustainable Microgrid Strategies: focusing on apartment complexes in South Korea

Minsung Kim

Sustainable Microgrid Strategies: focusing on apartment complexes in South Korea

 

Nowadays, many advanced countries have accelerated the smartgrid as a new growth engine for the future. For South Korea, in 2009, the government decided to adopt the smartgrid as a national project, and announced the blueprint to complete the development of the smartgrid until 2030. The government judges that South Korea has a fundamental edge for the smartgrid on the basis of the superb ICT infrastructure, and promotes the related technologies and businesses.

Under the circumstances, this researcher judges that building microgrid in apartment complexes in South Korea will be very idealistic demonstration tools not only for the realization of green homes, but also for the national smartgrid project for two reasons; because (1) the average number of apartment unit supply is over 350,000 per year, which takes up over 75% of the total housing supply in South Korea, and (2) nowadays, many construction companies have started to adopt CO₂ reduction technologies to prepare the introduction of carbon tax which is supposed to take effect in 2013.

In this research, this researcher illustrates sustainable microgrid strategies in the apartment complexes in South Korea in order to realize the green and sustainable homes which could contribute not only to our environment, but also to citizens’ well being.

 

Course Overview

Context

The need to engage in better problem definition through careful dialogue with all stakeholder groups and a proper recognition of context.

Perspectives

An ability to work with specialists from other disciplines and professional groups acknowledging that technical innovation and business skills also must be understood, nurtured and combined as precursors to the successful implementation of sustainable solutions.

Change

An understanding of mechanisms for managing change in organisations so future engineers are equipped to play a leadership role.

Tools

An awareness of a range of assessment frameworks, sustainability metrics and methodologies such as Life Cycle Analysis, Systems Dynamics, Multi-Criteria Decision making and Impact Assessment.