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Baega Island

Current status, energy mix, organizations, suppliers, equipment, controls, reported specifications, and project updates—with source-level citations.

CoverageDetailed public record
Named organizations7
System facts20
Sources reviewed7
Evidence reviewed2026-07-20

Baega Island is the Baekado energy-self-sufficient-island project on Baekado (Korean: 백아도; also romanized Baega-do, Baegado, or Paega-do) in Baega-ri, Deokjeok-myeon, Ongjin County, Incheon. Commissioned in January 2015, it combined 250 kW of PV, four 10 kW wind turbines, about 1.1-1.125 MWh of lithium-ion storage, an energy-management system, and three existing 75 kW diesel generators. The public promise of a 100% clean/carbon-zero island was not achieved: a National Assembly Budget Office analysis found a 59% renewable/41% diesel energy mix in 2016.

Research status
Historically commissioned, but current operation is unverified. Government records show completion in January 2015 and 2016 production of about 270,000 kWh renewable plus 190,000 kWh diesel. The wind component performed especially poorly: a 2019 KIER/Pusan National University study reported measured mean wind speed of 2.32 m/s and capacity factor of only 1.08%, citing a 2017 audit recommendation to relocate the turbines. No public evidence found through 20 July 2026 confirms that relocation occurred or establishes present PV, BESS, wind, EMS, or diesel availability; the record therefore should not be labeled currently 100% renewable or fully operational without qualification.
Historical classification
Island
Reported capacity
See component specifications
Coordinates
37.08466, 125.95784
Evidence note: “Every company” cannot be proven from public material alone. This page lists every organization found in the recovered record and reviewed sources, preserves unknown roles, and explicitly marks undisclosed controller or equipment details.
Report missing evidenceResearch methodology

Project delivery

Who was involved in Baega Island?

7 publicly identified organizations. Where a recovered source named a participant without explaining its work, the role remains explicitly unspecified.

Organization

Incheon Metropolitan City

Local-government project sponsor and co-funder with Ongjin County; promoted the carbon-zero-island objective. [2][5][4]

Organization

Incheon Technopark

Lead organization for the project consortium under the national renewable-energy convergence-support program. [4]

Organization

KEPCO

Publicly named participant; role not specified in the recovered record [1]

Organization

Korea Electric Power Corporation

Source of rural-island electricity-supply operating and performance data used in the government audit. The reviewed evidence does not support assigning KEPCO sole project ownership; the local project inventory names Ongjin County as operator. [5][4]

Organization

Korea Institute of Energy Research

Co-author institution for the 2019 wind-resource assessment that analyzed poor wind performance and modeled a better site. [6]

Organization

Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

National-program sponsor/funder through the renewable-energy convergence-support program; national funds covered 50% of the reported project cost. [2][5]

Organization

Ongjin County

Co-sponsor, co-funder, and island power-system operator identified by Incheon Institute's island inventory. [2][4]

System evidence

Energy mix, capacity, and specifications

Values can describe different project phases, generation sources, storage systems, or other components. Source citations are attached to each figure so discrepancies remain visible.

Solar PV capacity
250 kW; manufacturer, module model, inverter supplier, mounting configuration, and current available capacity were not found. [6][5][4]
Wind capacity
40 kW from four 10 kW Raeun Tech GWE-10KU small wind turbines installed on 12 m towers. [6]
Battery energy storage
Approximately 1.1 MWh lithium-ion; government records commonly state 1,125 kW even though they describe stored energy, while the technical paper clarifies 1.1 MWh. Battery power rating, duration at rated output, cell/model supplier, and usable energy were not published. [6][5][4]
Diesel backup
Three existing 75 kW diesel generators, 225 kW total, retained as emergency/backup generation; manufacturer, model, and current condition are unknown. [2][4]
Project cost and funding
Approximately KRW 4.2-4.234 billion; 50% national funding and 50% combined Incheon/Ongjin local funding. [2][5][4]
2016 measured energy mix
59% renewable and 41% diesel: about 270,000 kWh from PV/wind and 190,000 kWh from diesel, versus the planned 100% renewable supply. [5]
2016 electricity use
330,025 kWh, up 28.9% from 256,118 kWh in 2014; demand growth contributed to but did not fully explain higher-than-planned diesel operation. [5]
Diesel fuel trend
116,029 liters in 2014, 86,813 liters in 2015, and 60,727 liters in 2016; fuel use fell but was not eliminated. [5]
Wind measured performance
Mean wind speed 2.32 m/s and measured fleet capacity factor 1.08%. A later NWP-CFD model estimated 3,666 kWh/year and 4.2% capacity factor at the current 12 m site, versus 20,254 kWh/year and 23.1% at a modeled hilltop site; modeled values are not realized production. [6]

Controls and hardware

Equipment and controller details

Manufacturer and model are shown only when a source names them. Generic descriptions are not converted into guessed product assignments.

01

Small wind turbines

Raeun Tech — GWE-10KU

Four 10 kW turbines on 12 m hubs. The 2019 site study attributes the installed units to Raeun Tech; the Korean Energy Agency's current certification record for the same model lists Geumpung, so the later certificate holder should not be retroactively substituted for the installed-project attribution. [6][7]

02

Lithium-ion battery energy storage

Model not publicly disclosed

About 1.1-1.125 MWh coupled through bidirectional conversion and EMS; public records reviewed do not identify the battery/PCS manufacturer, model, power rating, or current state of health. [6][4]

03

Solar PV

Model not publicly disclosed

250 kW array. Manufacturer and component models are not disclosed in the reviewed sources. [6][4]

04

Energy management system

Model not publicly disclosed

EMS and power-conversion equipment coordinate renewable generation, storage, and diesel backup; supplier and product are not disclosed. [4]

Technical record

Architecture, performance, and project updates

Concise technical facts, milestones, operating results, and later developments. Dated notes distinguish historical design claims from current evidence.

  • Local-name and project disambiguation

    The local island name is 백아도 (Baekado). English sources variously use Baega, Baega-do, Baegado, or Paega-do. It is not Gasado/Gasa Island, a separate KEPCO microgrid with different ratings and participants. [4][6]

  • Dispatch architecture

    The system was designed to prioritize PV and wind, use the lithium-ion ESS to balance production and load, and run existing diesel generation when renewable energy was insufficient. Diesel therefore remained physically and operationally part of the microgrid despite the carbon-zero branding. [2][4][5]

  • Milestones

    Construction began in 2014 under the convergence-support program. The National Assembly analysis records commissioning in January 2015, and Incheon planning material described the completed system as in operation after 2014 work. [2][5][3]

  • Renewable-share outcome

    The 2016 renewable generation of roughly 270,000 kWh was only 73% of the 380,000 kWh plan, requiring 190,000 kWh of diesel output. The National Assembly Budget Office concluded that the promised 100% clean-energy supply had not been achieved. [5]

  • Wind siting failure

    The four turbines were installed in a coastal basin shielded on three sides by 70-130 m terrain. Tower height was reduced from the original 18 m design to 12 m to limit turbine shadow on the PV array. The 2017 audit found that field wind measurements were omitted and a non-specialist performed the site assessment, and recommended relocation. [6]

  • Relocation analysis

    The 2019 NWP-CFD study modeled a stronger hilltop location and estimated a 23.1% capacity factor there, compared with 4.2% modeled at the current site and 1.08% in reported operating data. This was an analytical relocation case, not evidence that the turbines were moved. [6]

  • Evidence gap

    No reviewed public source after the 2019 wind study confirms turbine relocation, replacement, decommissioning, battery refurbishment, EMS upgrades, current generation mix, or component availability. The most defensible status is historically commissioned with documented underperformance, present operation unknown. [6][5]

Provenance

7 sources

Primary owner, government, university, supplier, and engineering sources are preferred. Archived references preserve claims whose original pages moved or disappeared.

  1. [1]
    Recovered Microgrid Projects record

    Internet Archive · Archived source · captured 2020-07-06

  2. [2]
    Incheon to Make Baekado a Carbon-Zero Island

    Aju Business Daily · Secondary research

  3. [3]
    2015 Major Business Plan

    Incheon Metropolitan City · Primary source

  4. [4]
  5. [5]
    2016 Fiscal-Year Settlement Analysis — Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee

    National Assembly Budget Office, Republic of Korea · Primary source

  6. [6]
    Wind Resource Assessment of Baekado by NWP-CFD Downscaling

    New & Renewable Energy, Korean Society for New and Renewable Energy · Primary source

  7. [7]
    KS-Certified Equipment — GWE-10KU

    Korea Energy Agency New and Renewable Energy Center · Primary source

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