초록
The purpose of this study is to review the U.S. renewable energy policies implemented by the federal government and the state governments to investigate potential barriers of renewable energy expansion and to develop policy implications for the successful renewable energy policy making in Korea. Recently, the restructuring in the energy supply chain has been being a new trend in many countries that shows a transition from traditional fossil fuels to sustainable renewable energy sources. The United States has enforced effective renewable energy policies (i.e., regulatory policies, financial incentives), which have led to the exploding growth of renewable energy facilities and productions over the last ten years. For example, many state governments in the U.S. are implementing Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) policies that require increased energy supply from renewable energy sources (i.e., solar, wind and geothermal). These RPS policies are expected to account for at least 10-50 percent of total electricity production in the next fifteen years. As part of results, in the recent three years, renewable energy in the U.S provided over 50 percent of total new power generation constructions. On the other hand, Korea initiated to develop climate change policies in 2008 for the Green Growth Policy that set up a target reduction of national Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions up to 37 percent by 2025. However, statistical data for accumulated renewable energy capacity refer that Korea is still in its early stage that contribute to only 7 percent of the total electricity production capacity and of which hydroelectric power occupied most of the production. Thus, new administration in Korea announced a new renewable energy policy (Renewable Energy 3020 Plan) in 2017 that will require over 95 percent of the total new generations as renewable energy facilities to achieve up to 20 percent of the total electricity production from renewable energy sources by 2030. However, to date, there have not been enough studies to figure out the barriers of the current policy environment and to develop implications about renewable energy policies to support the government plan in Korea. Therefore, this study reviewed the U.S. renewable energy policies compared with Korean policies that could show model cases to introduce related policies and to develop improved incentives to rapidly spread out renewable energy facilities in Korea.