IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/engenv/v31y2020i6p1055-1076.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Optimal energy mix for greenhouse gas reduction with renewable energy – The case of the South Korean electricity sector

Author

Listed:
  • Sungheum Cho
  • Hana Kim
  • Sanghoon Lee
  • Sangil Kim
  • Eui-Chan Jeon

Abstract

The power generation sector is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in South Korea. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in this sector is therefore of crucial importance. The government has recently released its core energy policy objectives: elimination of coal-fired power generation, phase-out of nuclear plants, and promotion of renewable energy sources. This energy policy should be consistent with the national climate change response policy. This paper analyzed the optimum power generation structure based on the South Korean government’s energy policy and climate change policy and then analyzed the optimum power generation structure if the greenhouse gas reduction and renewable energy targets were different. Seven scenarios with different 2030 greenhouse gas reduction and renewable energy generation targets were investigated. The scenario analysis shows that it is difficult to reduce dependence on coal power generation if the South Korean government’s current energy and climate change policies are maintained. The current greenhouse gas reduction target level is insufficient to be a driving force for energy transition, but dependence on coal power generation can be reduced by applying a deeper level of greenhouse gas reduction (e.g. 50% reduction compared to BAU). To achieve the energy transition planned by the South Korean government, it would be necessary to set a target for greenhouse gas reduction that is deeper than the current plan. The results of this study analyzing the optimal power configuration for 2030 in light of South Korea’s energy and climate change policies are expected to contribute to the South Korean government’s establishment of policies in the future.

Suggested Citation

  • Sungheum Cho & Hana Kim & Sanghoon Lee & Sangil Kim & Eui-Chan Jeon, 2020. "Optimal energy mix for greenhouse gas reduction with renewable energy – The case of the South Korean electricity sector," Energy & Environment, , vol. 31(6), pages 1055-1076, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:engenv:v:31:y:2020:i:6:p:1055-1076
    DOI: 10.1177/0958305X19882419
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0958305X19882419
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0958305X19882419?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kumar, Subhash, 2016. "Assessment of renewables for energy security and carbon mitigation in Southeast Asia: The case of Indonesia and Thailand," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 63-70.
    2. Özer, Betül & Görgün, Erdem & İncecik, Selahattin, 2013. "The scenario analysis on CO2 emission mitigation potential in the Turkish electricity sector: 2006–2030," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 395-403.
    3. Hong, Jong Ho & Kim, Jitae & Son, Wonik & Shin, Heeyoung & Kim, Nahyun & Lee, Woong Ki & Kim, Jintae, 2019. "Long-term energy strategy scenarios for South Korea: Transition to a sustainable energy system," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 425-437.
    4. Park, Nyun-Bae & Yun, Sun-Jin & Jeon, Eui-Chan, 2013. "An analysis of long-term scenarios for the transition to renewable energy in the Korean electricity sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 288-296.
    5. Kim, Hoseok & Shin, Eui-soon & Chung, Woo-jin, 2011. "Energy demand and supply, energy policies, and energy security in the Republic of Korea," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(11), pages 6882-6897.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Bojana Škrbić & Željko Đurišić, 2023. "Novel Planning Methodology for Spatially Optimized RES Development Which Minimizes Flexibility Requirements for Their Integration into the Power System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-34, April.
    2. Denis Juma & Josiah Munda & Charles Kabiri, 2023. "Power-System Flexibility: A Necessary Complement to Variable Renewable Energy Optimal Capacity Configuration," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-24, November.
    3. Shirley Thompson, 2023. "Strategic Analysis of the Renewable Electricity Transition: Power to the World without Carbon Emissions?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-34, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Perwez, Usama & Sohail, Ahmed & Hassan, Syed Fahad & Zia, Usman, 2015. "The long-term forecast of Pakistan's electricity supply and demand: An application of long range energy alternatives planning," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 93(P2), pages 2423-2435.
    2. Youngho CHANG & Yanfei LI, 2014. "Non-renewable Resources in Asian Economies: Perspective of Availability, Applicability Acceptability, and Affordability," Working Papers DP-2014-04, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
    3. Kale, Rajesh V. & Pohekar, Sanjay D., 2014. "Electricity demand and supply scenarios for Maharashtra (India) for 2030: An application of long range energy alternatives planning," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 1-13.
    4. Handayani, Kamia & Krozer, Yoram & Filatova, Tatiana, 2019. "From fossil fuels to renewables: An analysis of long-term scenarios considering technological learning," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 134-146.
    5. Kachoee, Mohammad Sadegh & Salimi, Mohsen & Amidpour, Majid, 2018. "The long-term scenario and greenhouse gas effects cost-benefit analysis of Iran's electricity sector," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 585-596.
    6. Khrisydel Rhea M. Supapo & Lorafe Lozano & Ian Dominic F. Tabañag & Edward M. Querikiol, 2022. "A Backcasting Analysis toward a 100% Renewable Energy Transition by 2040 for Off-Grid Islands," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-19, June.
    7. Liang, Yuanyuan & Yu, Biying & Wang, Lu, 2019. "Costs and benefits of renewable energy development in China's power industry," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 700-712.
    8. Halkos, George & Tzeremes, Panagiotis, 2015. "Scenario analysis on greenhouse gas emissions reduction in Southeast Balkans' energy system," MPRA Paper 65280, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Job Taminiau & John Byrne & Jongkyu Kim & Min‐whi Kim & Jeongseok Seo, 2021. "Infrastructure‐scale sustainable energy planning in the cityscape: Transforming urban energy metabolism in East Asia," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(5), September.
    10. Hanwoong Kim & Haewon McJeon & Dawoon Jung & Hanju Lee & Candelaria Bergero & Jiyong Eom, 2021. "Integrated Assessment Modeling of Korea 2050 Carbon Neutrality Technology Pathways," Papers 2111.01598, arXiv.org.
    11. Cho, Seolhee & Kim, Jiyong, 2015. "Feasibility and impact analysis of a renewable energy source (RES)-based energy system in Korea," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 317-328.
    12. Kim, Sunwoo & Choi, Yechan & Park, Joungho & Adams, Derrick & Heo, Seongmin & Lee, Jay H., 2024. "Multi-period, multi-timescale stochastic optimization model for simultaneous capacity investment and energy management decisions for hybrid Micro-Grids with green hydrogen production under uncertainty," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 190(PA).
    13. Zhou, Yuanchun & Ma, Mengdie & Gao, Peiqi & Xu, Qiming & Bi, Jun & Naren, Tuya, 2019. "Managing water resources from the energy - water nexus perspective under a changing climate: A case study of Jiangsu province, China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 380-390.
    14. Kat, Bora, 2023. "Clean energy transition in the Turkish power sector: A techno-economic analysis with a high-resolution power expansion model," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    15. Sharma, Rajesh & Shahbaz, Muhammad & Sinha, Avik & Vo, Xuan Vinh, 2021. "Examining the temporal impact of stock market development on carbon intensity: Evidence from South Asian countries," MPRA Paper 108925, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2021.
    16. Jungmin An & Dong-Kwan Kim & Jinyeong Lee & Sung-Kwan Joo, 2021. "Least Squares Monte Carlo Simulation-Based Decision-Making Method for Photovoltaic Investment in Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-14, September.
    17. Ju-Hee Kim & Young-Kuk Kim & Seung-Hoon Yoo, 2023. "Does Proximity to a Power Plant Affect Housing Property Values of a City in South Korea? An Empirical Investigation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-14, February.
    18. Lee, Juyong & Cho, Youngsang, 2020. "Estimation of the usage fee for peer-to-peer electricity trading platform: The case of South Korea," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    19. Stefan Niederhafner, 2014. "The Korean Energy and GHG Target Management System: An Alternative to Kyoto-Protocol Emissions Trading Systems?," TEMEP Discussion Papers 2014118, Seoul National University; Technology Management, Economics, and Policy Program (TEMEP), revised Sep 2014.
    20. Chen, Zi-yue & Nie, Pu-yan, 2016. "Effects of carbon tax on social welfare: A case study of China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 1607-1615.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:engenv:v:31:y:2020:i:6:p:1055-1076. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.