South Korea future market for renewable energies
Published on: September 24, 2020 / Update from: October 2, 2020 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein
When the nuclear disaster occurred in Fukushima, Japan, on March 11, 2011, there was great horror in South Korea, 1,000 km away. On November 15, 2017, geothermal drilling in the southeast of the country triggered violent earthquakes, affecting four nuclear reactors just a few kilometers from the epicenter .
South Korea future market for renewable energies – Image: @shutterstock|Anton_Medvedev
In terms of area, South Korea is a third smaller than Germany and awareness of sustainability and the environment is still young. While the photovoltaics (PV) market only began to develop in 2005, Fukushima was the real turning point.
Fukushima as a turning point
When the nuclear disaster occurred in Fukushima, Japan, on March 11, 2011, there was great horror in South Korea, 1000 km away. And the violent earthquake on November 15, 2017, triggered by geothermal drilling in the southeast of the country, where four nuclear reactors are located just a few kilometers from the epicenter, still has an impact today.
“In South Korea, nuclear power has been supported by the government for a good 40 years, primarily because we have no natural resources.” With this statement, Daum Jang from Greenpeace aptly describes South Korea's dilemma. He further mentions in an interview that newspapers that annoy him, such as industry-oriented daily newspapers, use the German energy transition as a negative example and emphasize the costs of German climate policy, but not the benefits. Well, the situation has changed since Fukushima and President Moon Jae-in has confirmed his plans to phase out nuclear power. However, he faces a strong lobby, but the mood of the South Korean population leaves no other choice.
South Korea sets new expansion target of 35% renewable energy by 2040
Environmental protection and combating climate change have played an important role in the South Korean government under Moon Jae-in since 2017. Under the motto “Renewable Energies 3020”, the share of renewable energies in electricity generation is to be increased from the current meager 8% to 20% by 2030. In contrast, at least 10 coal-fired power plants are facing closure. Moon therefore wants to reduce CO2 emissions by 37% by 2030.
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Nuclear power problem
Currently, 25 nuclear reactors cover 21% of South Korea's energy needs. In addition, every third new nuclear power plant in the world is built by South Korean companies. The nuclear lobby in South Korea is therefore strong and the energy transition is not necessarily secure. There is currently no clear line against nuclear power. President Moon once promised to phase out cars and then withdrew them. However, according to a survey, 61% of South Koreans are in favor of phasing out nuclear energy, with another 10% undecided.
Potential for solar and wind energy
According to the government's plans, solar and wind energy can develop the potential of 235 GW by 2040, across unused agricultural land and rooftops. At the end of 2018, the installed photovoltaic capacity in Korea was still around 7.86 GW, according to statistics from the International Renewable Energy Agency, of which 2 GW were added in 2018 alone.
At the end of 2006, the total PV capacity was almost 25 MW, at the end of 2011 it was around 779 MW and at the end of 2013 it was more than 1.5 GW.
In 2014, 2,556 MW of PV systems were already installed. This accounted for a share of 26.8% of renewable energies.
In 2015, the share of PV systems was 3,690 MW. Overall, the share of renewable energies increased by 10,197 MW in the same period.
According to the “Renewable Energies 3020 Action Plan”, the government wants to set a capacity for renewable energies of 63.8 GW by 2030, with the share of photovoltaics being 36.5 GW.
By 2035, 14.1% of all renewable energy generated will be generated by solar energy.
The government also wants to expand the installation of photovoltaic systems, particularly in apartments and buildings in cities. That is why the government primarily promotes the installation of photovoltaic systems in single- and multi-family homes. The market for photovoltaic systems is also to be expanded in the agricultural sector. On the one hand, it is important to find areas for the systems, which are mainly in rural regions.
Current energy consumption in South Korea
Currently, energy consumption in South Korea is 507.6 billion kWh.
This compares to a capacity of 526 billion kWh (104%). South Korea can be completely self-sufficient in energy. Per capita consumption is 9,816.45 kWh, compared to Europe: 5,511.05 kWh.
The energy sources consist of the following:
- Fossil fuels – 69% (Germany: 41.0%)
- Nuclear power – 21% (Germany: 5.0%)
- Hydropower – 2% (Germany: 2.0%)
- Renewable energies – 8% (Germany: 52.0%)
Share of South Korea's energy sources compared to other countries' energies - Image: @xpert.digital
Advertising measures
Various measures are also intended to raise the population's awareness of renewable energies. For example, as part of the project, a solar map of Seoul was integrated into a website: http://solarmap.seoul.go.kr/index.do
German technology in South Korea
In order to achieve the 2040 target, the government is relying on support from international experts.
For example, the VSB Group, headquartered in Dresden, founded the Korean subsidiary “VSB Renewable Energy Korea Ltd.”. To enter the market, it secured a 35 MW wind farm project.
FKI Tower in Seoul
An example of how renewable energies are increasingly finding their way into everyday life is the FKI Tower.
The FKI Tower, also known by its full name “Federation of Korean Industries Head Office Building,” is a skyscraper on Yeouido Island in Seoul. It was designed by the American architectural firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. Construction began in 2010 and was completed in 2014. At 245 m high, it is one of the tallest buildings in South Korea and is the fifth tallest building in Seoul. The building won the 2015 Building of the Year award from American-architects.com.
The building's construction had to take into account the city's requirement that all new large commercial buildings must generate at least 5% of their energy on-site. In addition, the architecture should be adapted to the environment. The design team developed a strategy that met both requirements with an exterior wall system that combines the energy efficiency strategy and energy production technology while reducing the amount of energy the building uses for its heating and cooling loads.
Federation of Korean Industries Head Office Building – Image: @xpert.digital / @shutterstock|Ethos.lee
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