Korean Researchers Develop AI-Powered Technology for Energy-Efficient BuildingsRevolutionary Building Energy Management System Cuts Costs by 17%. Credit: techxplore.com

A team of researchers, led by Dr. Jeong Hak-geun from the Energy ICT Research Department at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER), has successfully developed an innovative technology that transforms buildings into energy-producing, managing, and saving entities rather than just energy consumers.

Buildings have different levels of energy consumption depending on their location, usage, and even specific areas within the same building. With the rising focus on initiatives like carbon neutrality and RE100, many buildings are now turning to renewable energy solutions such as solar panels, fuel cells, and energy storage systems. As the use of high-end electrical appliances continues to increase, efficient management of building energy consumption has become crucial.

Traditional Building Energy Management System (BEMS) technologies rely on simple energy usage monitoring and the experience of building managers to operate the system, making it challenging to manage the diverse distributed resources and various types of power consumption efficiently. This approach also limits the real-time diagnosis of distributed resources for addressing any malfunctions.

To overcome these limitations, the team developed a platform technology that utilizes artificial intelligence and probabilistic/statistical methods to manage the real-time operating status and malfunctions of distributed resources within buildings. This technology automates the analysis of operating conditions and fault diagnosis, as well as optimizing resource operation in real-time, resulting in increased efficiency and reduced energy costs.

The team collected and analyzed various types of fault data and environmental data to develop this technology, achieving an impressive fault detection accuracy of over 98% for distributed resources. Additionally, the platform incorporates next-generation secure communication technologies using quantum cryptography and quantum-resistant cryptography, making it highly resilient to cyber attacks.

The research team also applied autonomous operation technology to respond to and recover from potential faults within distributed resources. They developed an autonomous operation technology using a nonlinear optimization algorithm, enabling real-time optimization of operations among distributed resources. This allows for the immediate implementation of the optimal usage plan for distributed resources in the event of a malfunction.

After a year of testing in a mock-up testbed that accurately simulates a real building environment, the team confirmed that their platform technology resulted in significant energy cost savings of over 17% compared to traditional building energy management systems. The research has also produced impressive results, including 50 SCI(E)-level papers, 27 domestic and international patent applications, 4 registrations, and 8 cases of technology transfer, proving the excellence of their work. The technology is now on the brink of commercialization.

Lead researcher Dr. Jeong Hak-geun commented, "Our platform is equipped with advanced algorithms for optimizing resource utilization and can be applied to various types of buildings, including offices, factories, and hotels, by managing distributed resource faults in real-time. This market-leading technology can significantly reduce energy waste and maintenance costs, making a valuable contribution to carbon neutrality."

Alton Shaffer
With a strong hold on the business domain with an experience of over 10 years, Alton owns a Masters Degree in Business Administrations. He is associated with Industry News USA from last 3 years and handles the Business section successfully. In team Industry News USA, Alton is known as an affluent source of knowledge. He is honored for greatest efforts in his field. With a unique style of communicating, Alton is labeled as a problem-solver of Industry News USA.