Standard Energy said on Sept. 10 that officials including commercial counsellors from major European embassies in South Korea visited its Daejeon site on Sept. 9. The visit was arranged as part of a company site-visit programme for the "2026 INNOPOLIS – Europe Innovation Partnership Day" event hosted by the Innopolis Foundation.

About 20 people attended, including officials from the EU delegation in South Korea and the French and German embassies. They toured the VIB ESS demonstration site installed at KAIST's Munji Campus in Daejeon and the headquarters' automated production line. The company said the visit allowed participants to directly check the demonstration status and level of commercialisation of VIB, a non-lithium battery that uses vanadium to reduce fire and explosion risks.

Attention from the officials focused on VIB’s structural features. Explanations included that it uses a non-flammable aqueous electrolyte to fundamentally block fire and explosion risks. Long life and high-output characteristics enabling rapid charging and discharging were also introduced. Flexibility to install and operate in various operating environments was also mentioned.

The discussion also covered why energy storage systems, or ESS, are drawing attention as flexible resources to ease the burden of expanding power grids. It cited the need to expand grids to address surging electricity demand from AI industry development and the task of securing grid stability, while noting limitations on adding high-voltage transmission networks. It also pointed to growing interest in VIB ESS as power production shifts to a regionally distributed system with the expansion of renewable energy. Demand for high output, such as grid-forming and ultra-fast charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, supports that interest.

During the subsequent process tour, Standard Energy showed its automated production process, "V-Line". Officials showed interest in the company having built an automated cell production system in a relatively short period after its founding. Questions also followed about future production plans and the possibility of entering and cooperating in Europe.

Kim Sung-jin (김성진), executive director and head of Standard Energy’s technology business division, said, "Through this visit, it was meaningful that we were also able to inform the international community that vanadium ion battery ESS can be a practical solution to global challenges such as surging power demand in the AI era and the energy transition, based on the strengths of safety and high output." He added, "We will continue to accelerate the commercialisation of VIB technology through various cooperation at home and abroad, and continuously seek ways to contribute to responding to the global climate crisis and the energy transition."