Developing carbon measurement device: an interview with Kim Young-han

For global climate agreements and national carbon reduction goals to be accomplished, a standardized mechanism to track emissions is essential. Korea Electronics Technology Institute is currently researching and developing such devices, particularly in its Smart Network Research Center. Kim Young-han, the head of this research team, provided deep insight into the future of these carbon measurement devices and the imperative role it can play in carbon reduction.

What is your role and research focus at the Smart Network Research Center?

I serve as the director of the Smart Network Research Center. We focus on researching and developing sensors that measure how efficiently energy is used and how much carbon emissions are generated, along with the devices that enable this measurement.

So, are these devices used by companies? Do they measure the carbon emissions

companies produce?

Well, in a way, it relates to the RE100 initiative. Because of the RE100 issue, factories and power plants need to continuously monitor and measure carbon emissions from their production processes and manufacturing facilities. Then, they attach that information to their products. Or, when conducting transactions, they need certification that their carbon emissions meet certain low standards. I can see an era where goods are traded based on this system emerging in a few years. To achieve that, we need to continuously measure carbon emissions within factories or power plants. So we're developing those devices.

Once multiple devices are installed and operating in a factory, you need devices to supply power to them, like batteries. But that power supply itself can be a significant contributor to carbon emissions. For example, with handheld devices, constantly replacing batteries means those batteries become waste, which is very harmful to the environment and carbon footprint. So we're researching whether these devices can operate by charging their batteries using energy from our surroundings, eliminating the need for battery replacement.

Based on current developments, what kinds of companies or products can measure carbon emissions from objects?

Equipment to measure carbon emissions is installed in companies that emit enormous amounts of carbon, like those producing cars or steel. Another important point is that if people have such devices, they can also use them for everyday measurements. But at the current stage, there isn't that much equipment available that can accurately measure carbon emissions and the devices are very large. So, to miniaturize them significantly and measure carbon footprint within the entire process is necessary. That's why we need small sensors, and then a system that can charge energy stand-alone. 

Then, what is the market demand like for such measurement devices? 

If we can create such devices and equipment, the market will expand significantly. However, the delay stems from the fact that the starting point for utilizing ARI standards hasn't arrived yet. Companies haven't fully grasped the importance of this issue. But people and the government are increasingly aware of it. Later, for instance, if you want to sell automotive parts to Europe, you'll need to meet the ARI standards. To do that, the factory itself must utilize eco-friendly energy and measure its carbon emissions. So, I think there will be significant demand for this in the future.

How is the energy data produced by these devices utilized for carbon reduction or improving energy efficiency?

As mentioned earlier, hundreds or thousands of these devices will be installed within a factory. So then you need to replace the batteries for those devices or supply them with energy. Replacing batteries or supplying energy itself can actually emit more carbon, right? But while we're talking about hundreds or thousands here, if you consider factories worldwide, it could be trillions. So just by preventing the replacement of trillions of batteries, I think we could significantly reduce carbon emissions.

If awareness about carbon neutrality and the need to reduce carbon emissions increases, wouldn't measurement devices naturally be used more widely? And once certain carbon emission standards are established between countries and companies, businesses and nations will inevitably have to adopt it.

So what kind of government support or efforts exist to promote this sustainable development?

For instance, from the Ministry of Science and Technology's perspective, they're developing devices for carbon neutrality. Also, with the recent rise of AI, data centers and operating servers are being built on an enormous scale. The heat and energy generated there are enormous. So the Ministry of Science and Technology is interested in how much energy can be reduced while operating these servers. From the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's perspective, they're looking at how to minimize carbon emissions from power plants or systems that generate electricity using such energy sources. Another focus is how effectively carbon capture can be implemented to reduce oxygen levels. As you know, the Ministry of Environment naturally approaches things from the perspective of reducing carbon emissions.

Regarding the power market, such as battery efficiency, how can devices contribute more, and what is the future direction?

So, what I do is about utilizing the energy around us, even if it's in very small amounts. For example, solar power and even noise can be used as energy. And since movement itself contains energy, we can convert that into electrical energy. So, the work involves contributing more to how effectively we can generate usable electricity by harnessing this ambient energy.

As these devices advance, people will likely become more aware of how much carbon is being emitted. How will that interact with the nation's carbon reduction goals?

The government currently wants precise knowledge of how well carbon emissions are being managed across industries and under various conditions. Creating devices that provide this accurate information is therefore extremely important. Additionally, there's something called a carbon core that can calculate carbon emissions. So, carbon accounting will eventually integrate with AI technology to create automated systems for calculating emissions. But to do that, we must first understand and know the precise state of carbon emissions. To achieve this, it seems crucial to install as many sensors as possible, ones that are capable of measuring various sources of carbon emissions.

If companies can measure their carbon emissions more accurately as devices advance, wouldn't that create a sense among them that they need to reduce emissions?

That's possible. But first, they'll likely aim to meet global standards because reducing emissions also incurs costs. For companies, reducing costs is paramount, so I'm not sure if they can truly achieve it. Still, for companies that reduce more, it could become a form of ESG marketing. Then, the government should provide incentives for such efforts. For example, offering tax breaks or similar benefits. That's why I believe national-level efforts are necessary.