Research Report
Ⅰ. Background and purpose
○ After the Paris-Agreement, the global climate policy has been changed to a post-2020 protocol from the Kyoto protocol. These changes in climate change protocol symbolize that new competition to new technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Regarding this, each country endeavors to develop new technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emission following to the NDCs, which were submitted after considering each country’s situation.
○ These developments in new technologies are regarded as significant, thereby our government is focusing in supporting to develop six core technologies including solar cell, fuel cell, biofuel, secondary battery, electronic IT, CCS.
○ In July, 2017, the Moon Jae-in government’s five year plan of administration of national government(“the 5-year plan”) of had suggested 100 national government’s affairs which includes the climate change responses and the energy policy. Specifically, this provides the “safe society” strategies that protects people’s safety and lives, while resolve anxieties from the environmental risks.
○ The plan discloses the revolutionary changes in regulating nuclear power industry and proceed to anti-nuclear policies, which means a change to a eco-friendly renewable energy paradime.
○ Under these circumstances, analyzing climate change response policies and systems using new technology of developed countries and making policies adaptable in our situation are required.
Ⅱ. Main Contents
▶ Analysis on policies and systems related to the domestic climate change responses using new technologies
○ To respond climate change, former government had made core-technologies strategy while made focused investments in six core technologies. These 6 core technologies had a significant importance not only in reducing greenhouse gases and in dealing with climate change but also in building up national competitiveness.
○ In recent the 5-year plan, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy promulgated that it plans to increase the usage rate of renewable energy until 20%, which makes South Korea to a leading country in energy new technology. Moreover, it adjusted its plan to increase the RPS rate to 28% until 2030.
○ This rate has been expanded from former plan, which aimed to reduce 10% until 2030. Moreover, it is 40% more than the RPS 7%, which was proposed by the first climate change response in 2016.
○ The 5-year plan has included building ecofriendly smart energy infrastructure, inventing new business based on IoE related to the energy new technology industry. The government is planning to require every public organization to install EES(“Energy Storage System”) until 2020.
○ Moreover, energy demand management will be strengthened in core energy efficiency sectors(housing, commercials, transportation, public areas, buildings etc), while transferring low carbon emission and high energy efficiency structures utilizing unused energy.
○ These national new government vision has been reflected the active purpose of the government in lowering the reliance in nuclear energy and rising new and renewable energy. However, it is advisable that the 5-year plan provided by the national affairs policy planning advising commission needs to include more specific plans for practice.
▶ Features of new technology policy in response to the climate change in selected developed countries
○ The German government has planned to increase reusable energy production to 40-45% in comparison to 1990, 55-60% to 2035, and 80% to 2050. After the decision of closure, the reusable energy rate has been dramatically increased while the energy production rate using reusable energy has been articulated in law.
○ Especially in July 8, 2016, revised reusable energy law has been adopted public offering system to financially support investigations of ground wind energy facilities, which led to legislate WindSeeG. Considering this, it is concluded that the german federal government is putting emphasis on wind energy production among several ways to product reusable energy.
○ In United States, the Trump government constituted in 2017 released America First Energy Plan, which requires new enery policy. It had included withdrawal from the Paris-agreement, renouncement of Clean Power Plan(CPP), and regulatory schemes led by the state government not the federal government.
○ However, it is evaluated that each state is still actively pushing ahead to develop new technology to respond climate change. For instance, researches for technology to develop carbon capture and sequestration(CCS), biofuels are funded in a long term.
○ Funding for research or tax-deduction programs are provided for solar cell using new technology, while it is combined with artificial intelligence(AI). Typically, global corporations including Tesla, SolarCity are focused on developing housing solar panels actively combined ICT.
○ In France, newly elected Macron government in 2017 had been emphasized the role of reusable energy led by Ministry of Ecology and Solidarity. Electric vehicle industry is one of the main areas as it reduces CO2 emission and throwing out fossil fuels. Moreover, social solidarity is enforced by environment-friend and ecological transition.
○ A new technology policy in France had purpose in increasing new reusable energy production to 32% until 2030 by supporting no-carbon dioxide emission power production and funding for research & development in CCS technology.
○ The France government is supporting to develop technologies in biofuel and solar energy to reduce greenhouse gas emission. Moreover, systematic revisions to support Smart Grid, a intelligent electronic network, is also continued.
○ The Australia energy efficiency program pursues self-reducing policy of energy usage rate in building or commercial cooling system to improve energy efficiency. As it has extensive natural environment, the government focus on the solar or ocean powers to increase energy efficiency. Although those powers requires lots of cost in the first-developing stage, the total energy efficiency would higher than other energy sources in a long term. However, the Australia government had negative positions in constructing dam or nuclear energy power plant.
○ The Singapore government is evaluated as having relatively lower interests in developing reusable energy using new technologies as the land is smaller than other countries. Rather, the government has focused on the utilization of city such as gardening within the city, building eco-friendly using ICT, regulating energy efficiency, and expanding city trains.
▶ Perspectives and improvements in new technologies to respond climate change
○ In these days, adopting climate change lowering greenhouse gas emission is national affairs, which may not be easily avoided. This global and environmental changes is significantly influencing national energy policy.
○ New technologies in climate change is influencing not only environmental problems such as greenhouse gas emission but also national competitiveness. This is the important reason that South Korea government needs to establish a detailed roadmap in reducing greenhouse gas emission after Paris-agreement.
○ While developing reusable energy, there are several discovered or undiscovered difficulties in geological, financial or technological situations. With this regards, in settling the national strategy to secure electric energy, the government needs to consider long-term policies in developing and utilizing reusable energy.
○ Inducing social agreement in shutting down nuclear energy power plant is expected to require significant discussions and difficulties. The core six technologies provided by the South Korea government is evaluated as needed and prospective as long as the government provides continuous and long-term supports in research and development. Moreover, cooperations between central and local government or public-private partnership would be an important tool to solve these potential issues.
○ In developing new technology, it is required to prepare enough financial support, and proceed the supports in technology and finance. Moreover, national competitiveness needs to strengthened by selecting focused energy industry.
○ Several developed countries seems focused on the wind and solar energy in general, while South Korea needs more time and efforts to reach the stage of the countries we had reviewed. Therefore, to secure enough electronic power, maximum safety in nuclear power plant should be kept and rates in reusable energy should be developed by stages.
○ Moreover, development in new technology related to the climate change means the national competitiveness. As it seems not prepared in securing finance, supporting strategies in technology and finance, and providing policy and legislative strategies, the government immediately set the detailed roadmap with long-term plan as nationally.
Ⅲ. Expected effectiveness
○ As the Paris agreement has been effected, the aim in reducing greenhouse gas emission is not avoidable pending issue, which requires setting strategies to respond climate change. With this research, we had analyzed the current policies and systems related to the new technologies and endeavored to provide forum to discuss in searching for proper solutions.
○ This research reviewed current new technologies and policies in selected developed countries, thereby, it would contribute to build new national strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emission and strengthening national competitiveness.
○ Moreover, this research can contribute policy improvement, it would be a significant opportunity to suggest policy development, supports in technology and finance, and policy and legislative strategies to respond climate change.