Standard Energy, the developer of the world’s first Vanadium Ion Battery (VIB) optimized for energy storage systems (ESS), has received the Grand Prize—Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Award—at the 2025 KEPCO New Energy Technology Commercialization Fair. The award recognizes the company’s innovative hybrid business model that merges KEPCO’s UPS control technology with VIB, creating a new solution that bridges UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) and ESS.

At the event held on July 11 in Seoul, Standard Energy competed in the "Promising Technology-Based Business Model Contest." Co-hosted by KEPCO and the Korean Standards Association, the event aimed to support commercialization of next-gen energy technologies. Standard Energy presented a business model based on KEPCO’s patented control system for energy storage with load management and UPS functions. This control method allows stable, flexible power supply and is optimized for rapid UPS response during outages.

The result: a combined UPS + ESS solution—dubbed “UES”—built on VIB technology, known for its fire safety, high output, and long lifespan.

UPS and ESS both store electricity but serve different roles. UPS provides instant power during outages, protecting data centers, hospitals, and critical infrastructure. ESS, on the other hand, stores energy for use during peak demand, improving efficiency and grid stability.

Combining both functions in one system brings clear advantages: improved energy efficiency, lower costs, and reduced equipment footprint. But until now, battery technology that meets both UPS’s safety standards and ESS’s high-performance requirements has been lacking.

Standard Energy’s VIB overcomes this challenge. Its fire safety and high output make it especially suitable for indoor UPS installations, where safety concerns are paramount.

To bring the concept to life, Standard Energy is building a testbed at its Daejeon facility and working closely with KEPCO to integrate the patented control system into VIB ESS. Several current ESS clients have shown interest in adopting the new UES solution.

By solving long-standing limitations in energy storage and backup systems, Standard Energy is opening the door to new markets that traditional ESS has failed to reach.

Bu-Gi Kim, CEO of Standard Energy, stated, “Our collaboration with KEPCO to co-develop a business model represents a new form of symbiotic growth in the energy sector. We will further enhance the ultra-fast responsiveness and high efficiency of our VIB ESS and expand its application across various industries.”

He added, “For Korea’s sovereign AI initiative to compete globally, it must be supported by cost-effective power infrastructure. We expect our joint solution with KEPCO to play a vital role in powering the AI era.”