SK to offer glimpse of daily life in carbon-neutral future

SK Inc., the strategic investment arm of SK Group, said Wednesday it will present a glimpse of the future drawn by its “carbon-neutral” technologies at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas early next month.

SK Inc.’s showroom at the trade show will exhibit its envisioned energy life cycle encompassing production to consumption, that cuts the energy usage with its advanced eco-friendly technologies.

Their technologies will include a next-generation sodium-cooled fast reactor, or SFR, developed by TerraPower, a US company with funding from SK and Microsoft founder Bill Gates, among others. With small modular reactors, the SFR technology is seen as an emerging contributor to net-zero goals to replace coal power plants.

The company will also show off its electric vehicle charging and smart energy solutions developed by SK Signet and Atom Power’s electric vehicle charger and solid state circuit breaker. Atom Power is a US company backed by SK Inc.

Halio’s Smart Glass, which maximizes energy efficiency and nanocarbon film heater produced by Teraon, will also be on display. Halio is a US manufacturer, and Teraon is a South Korean tech startup acquired by SK Siltron, the silicon wafer-making unit of SK Group.

The “carbon-neutral” technologies will be presented at the SK booth, jointly operated by SK Group with seven SK affiliates, including SK Innovation. The SK showroom will be set up under the theme of “Together in Action,” and run from Jan. 5-8, 2023.

SK Inc.’s net-zero technologies come in line with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won’s pledge that seeks to reduce carbon emissions by 200 million tons by 2030. The goal is equivalent to a reduction of 1 percent of global carbon emissions, a target set by the International Energy Agency.

“From this year’s CES, we will show how investment (in technologies) to overcome the climate crisis can create opportunities to capture future value,” Kim Hyung-joon, an SK Inc. executive, said in a statement.