Setback regulations stand out as a primary hindrance to the widespread adoption of renewable energy in South Korea. This study analyzed the current status of domestic and international setback regulations, laying the groundwork for an in-depth discussion aimed at improving regulations related to solar photovoltaic setback distances. While setback regulations lack universal standardization across nations, regulations in the United States exhibit certain similarities to those implemented in South Korea. Notably, South Korea has seen a gradual tightening of regulations from 2018 to the present, implementing standards approximately 5 to 10 times stricter than those in the United States.

This study analyzes the economic feasibility of agrivoltaics in South Korea. The key findings are as follows. It was ascertained that an amendment to the Farmland Act, which currently has an 8-year permit period, is necessary to ensure the economic feasibility of agrivoltaic projects. Furthermore, economic feasibility improves when agrivoltaic projects are financed, as against cases without financing. Furthermore, the availability of low-interest loans through financial support programs significantly enhances economic feasibility. Scaling up projects leads to cost savings due to economies of scale, while community-based agrivoltaic initiatives generate higher revenue through the acquisition of additional Renewable Energy Certificates. These factors can help improve the economic feasibility of agrivoltaic projects. These incentives are emphasized as they can serve as a source of funding to foster community acceptance of agrivoltaic projects.

Renewable energy sources play a key role in achieving carbon neutrality and zero net emissions in the power generation sector. Various efforts have been made to support the deployment of renewable energy, particularly solar photovoltaic and wind power, including policies to internalize the external cost of carbon emissions. In this study, we conducted a financial analysis of a 800 MW floating photovoltaic system and compared it with ground solar power generation. Additionally, we conducted a cost-benefit analysis that included the social cost of carbon. The findings showed that the floating photovoltaic project can meet the profitability target through an appropriately designed internalization of the social cost of carbon.

The rapid expansion of industrialization and population growth worldwide has led to a significant surge in energy demand, perpetuating heavy reliance on finite fossil fuel reserves. Although prevailing policies primarily target ground-mounted solar photovoltaics, there is a noticeable increase in the adoption of floating solar power generation systems on water surfaces. Nonetheless, adequate studies and legislative reviews on offshore solar photovoltaics in Korea are lacking. The absence of well-defined criteria for the economic analysis of floating solar photovoltaics presents hurdles to their economic feasibility. This study conducted a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of offshore photovoltaics to evaluate their economic viability and compared four types of solar photovoltaics based on the operating area and technology: ground-mounted, floating on inland water, pontoon-based offshore, and flexible system offshore. Perspectives from both central and local government entities, emphasizing social aspects, as well as inputs from private companies with a financial focus were considered. The findings revealed variations in economic viability depending on the operating area and technology employed. This study aims to contribute to the advancement of market maturity and technology within the realm of offshore solar photovoltaics.

This study conducted an economic analysis of renewable heat energy by estimating the levelized cost of heat production (LCOH) of ST and GSHP and comparing it with the cost of alternative fuels. The LCOH of ST ranged from 396.8 KRW/kWh to 578.7 KRW/kWh (small-scale), 270.3 KRW/kWh to 393.3 KRW/kWh (large-scale), and 156.3 KRW/kWh to 220.7 KRW/kWh for GSHP. The economic feasibility of ST and GSHP was analyzed by comparing the calculated LCOH and the fuel costs such as gas and kerosene prices. Moreover, scenario analyses were conducted for installation subsidies under the current system to examine the changes in the economics of renewable thermal energy.

This study investigates the barriers to the deployment of solar thermal and ground source heat pump (GSHP) from the perspective of consumers and businesses, as well as evaluates priorities for improving the barriers via expert AHP evaluation. From a consumer's perspective, the overall satisfaction with solar thermal is significantly lower than that with PV and needs to be improved at the installation and use stages. GSHP needs to be improved at the prior-information search stage. From a business perspective, the non-distinction between heat and electricity in mandatory installations in public buildings, the difficulty in assessing the value of heat, and high initial costs impede the deployment. Based on the result of AHP analysis, the priorities for improving the barriers to the wide utilization of solar thermal are evaluated in the order of economic feasibility, policy, acceptability, and technology, where high installation cost is shown to be the greatest barrier. Barriers for GSHP are evaluated in the order of policy, acceptability, economic feasibility, and technology, where policy means improvement is evaluated as the most important factor in promoting the deployment of GSHP.

This study examines the issues regarding the selection competition process of offshore wind power operators conducted in Japan in 2020. It also explores the implications of the findings on the legal system of Korea for the introduction of offshore wind power in the future. Drawing on Japan's example, Korea must reconsider the importance of the price aspect when introducing offshore wind power and adopt policies that prioritize balanced industrial development and focus on regional and domestic economic ripple effects.

This study introduces a method for estimating Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) using Broadband Aerosol Optical Depth (BAOD) derived from direct normal irradiance and meteorological factors observed between 2016 and 2017. Through correlation analyses between BAOD and atmospheric components such as Rayleigh scattering, water vapor, and tropospheric nitrogen dioxide, significant relationships were identified, enabling accurate AOD estimation. The methodology demonstrated high correlation coefficients and low Root Mean Square Errors (RMSE) compared to actual AOD₅₀₀ measurements, indicating that the attenuation effects of water vapor and the direct impact of tropospheric nitrogen dioxide concentration are crucial for precise aerosol optical depth estimation. The application of BAOD for estimating AOD₅₀₀ across various time scales-hourly, daily, and monthly-showed the approach's robustness in understanding aerosol distributions and their optical properties, with a high coefficient of determination (0.96) for monthly average AOD₅₀₀ estimates. This study simplifies the aerosol monitoring process and enhances the accuracy and reliability of AOD estimations, offering valuable insights into aerosol research and its implications for climate modeling and air quality assessment. The findings underscore the viability of using BAOD as a surrogate for direct AOD₅₀₀ measurements, presenting a promising avenue for more accessible and accurate aerosol monitoring practices, crucial for improving our understanding of aerosol dynamics and their environmental impacts.

This study explored the potential and implementation of renewable energy sources in Sri Lanka, focusing on the theoretical potential of solar and wind energy to develop self-reliant energy models. Using advanced climate data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and Global Solar/Wind Atlas provided by the World Bank, we assessed the renewable energy potential across Sri Lanka. This study proposes off-grid and minigrid systems as viable solutions for addressing energy poverty in rural regions. Rural villages were classified based on solar and wind resources, via which we proposed four distinct energy self-reliance models: Renewable-Dominant, Solar-Dominant, Wind-Dominant, and Diesel-Dominant. This study evaluates the economic viability of these models considering Sri Lanka's current energy market and technological environment. The outcomes highlight the necessity for employing diversified energy strategies to enhance the efficiency of the national power supply system and maximize the utilization of renewable resources, contributing to Sri Lanka's sustainable development and energy security.

Since 1990, the Renewable Big Data Research Lab at the Korea Institute of Energy Technology has been observing solar radiation at 16 sites across South Korea. Serving as the National Reference Standard Data Center for Renewable Energy since 2012, it produces essential data for the sector. By 2020, it standardized meteorological year data from 22 sites. Despite user demand for data from approximately 260 sites, equivalent to South Korea's municipalities, this need exceeds the capability of measurement-based data. In response, our team developed a method to derive solar radiation data from satellite images, covering South Korea in 400,000 grids of 500 m × 500 m each. Utilizing satellite-derived data and ERA5-Land reanalysis data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), we produced standard meteorological year data for 1,000 sites. Our research also focused on data measurement traceability and uncertainty estimation, ensuring the reliability of our model data and the traceability of existing measurement-based data.

The Typical Meteorological Year (TMY) dataset compiles 12 months of data that best represent long-term climate patterns, focusing on global horizontal irradiance and other weather-related variables. However, the irradiance measured on the plane of the array (POA) shows certain distinct distribution characteristics compared with the irradiance in the TMY dataset, and this may introduce some biases. Our research recalculated POA irradiance using both the Isotropic and DIRINT models, generating an updated dataset that was tailored to POA characteristics. Our analysis showed a 28% change in the selection of typical meteorological months, an 8% increase in average irradiance, and a 40% reduction in the range of irradiance values, thus indicating a significant shift in irradiance distribution patterns. This research aims to inform stakeholders about accurate use of TMY datasets in potential decision-making. These findings underscore the necessity of creating a typical dataset by using the time series of POA irradiance, which represents the orientation in which PV panels will be deployed.

Global sustainable energy needs and carbon neutrality goals make hydrogen a key future energy source. South Korea and Japan lead with proactive hydrogen policies, including South Korea's Hydrogen Law and Japan's strategy updates aiming for a hydrogen-centric society by 2050. A notable advance is the solar thermal chemical water-splitting cycle for green hydrogen production, spotlighted by Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) and Niigata University's joint initiative. This method uses solar energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, offering a carbon-neutral hydrogen production route. The study focuses on international collaboration in solar energy for thermochemical water-splitting and E-fuel production, highlighting breakthroughs in catalyst and reactor design to enhance solar thermal technology's commercial viability for sustainable fuel production. Collaborations, like ARENA in Australia, target global carbon emission reduction and energy system sustainability, contributing to a cleaner, sustainable energy future.

Ultra-low-head is an unexplored classification among the sites in which hydroelectric power can be produced. This is typically owing to the low power output and the economic value of the turbines available in this segment. A turbine capable of operating in an ultra-low-head condition without the need of a dam to produce electricity is developed in this study. A gate structure installed at a shallow water channel acting as a weir generates artificial head for the turbine mounted on the gate to produce power. The turbine and generator are designed to be compact and submersible for an efficient and silent operation. The gate angle is adjustable to operate the turbine at varying flow rates. The turbine is designed and tested using computational fluid dynamics tools prior to manufacturing and experimental studies. A parametric study of the runner blade parameters is conducted to obtain the most efficient blade design with minimal hydraulic losses. These parameters include the runner stagger and runner leading edge flow angles. The selected runner design showed improved hydraulic characteristics of the turbine to operate in an ultra-low-head site with minimal losses.

Biogas, composed mainly of methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂), is a renewable gas that can serve as an alternative energy source. In this study, we developed a new microwave reformer and analyzed its reforming characteristics. We observed that higher temperatures of the microwave receptor led to increased reforming efficiency. By supplying appropriate amounts of methane and steam, we could prevent carbon generated from the thermal decomposition reaction of carbon dioxide from depositing on the catalytic active layer, thus avoiding the inhibition of catalytic activity. Hydrogen generation was enhanced when maintaining the biogas ratio and steam supply at adequate levels. Increasing the SiC ratio in the receptor improved the uniformity of temperature distribution and growth rate, resulting in higher conversion rates of the reforming process.

The present study investigated waste medium from a domestic shiitake mushroom farm, which was pyrolyzed to produce biochar. The yield rate of the biochar was compared after exposure to various pyrolysis temperature conditions, and the characteristics of the produced biochar were analyzed. The present study focused on the carbon dioxide (CO₂) adsorption capacity of the resulting biochar. The CO₂ adsorption capacity exhibited a correlation with the pyrolysis temperature of the biochar, with increasing temperatures resulting in higher CO₂ adsorption capacities. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis showed that the CO₂ adsorption capacity was related to the surface area and pore volume of the biochar. Calcium is added to the process of producing mushroom medium. Experiments were performed to investigate the CO₂ adsorption capacity of the biochar from the waste medium with the addition of calcium. In addition, CO₂ adsorption experiments were conducted after the pyrolysis of kenaf biochar with the addition of calcium. The results of these experiments show that calcium affected the CO₂ adsorption capacity.

Addressing climate change necessitates evidence-based policies grounded in science. The use of forest biomass for energy production is based on a broad scientific consensus at the international level. However, some environmental groups in South Korea are opposing this system of energy production. Through this study, the authors aim to reduce unnecessary confusion and foster an atmosphere conducive to meaningful evidence-based policies. We have classified the issue into eight categories: biological carbon cycle, carbon debt, nature-based solutions, air emissions, cascading principles and sustainability certification, forest environmental impacts, climate change litigation, and the behavior of environmental groups and public perception. Consequently, the following key points were derived: (1) the actions of some environmental groups seem to follow a similar pattern to denialist behavior that denies climate change and climate science; (2) the quality of evidence for campaigns that oppose the use of forest biomass for energy production is low, with a tendency to overgeneralize information, high uncertainty, and difficulty in finding new claims.; (3) most of the public believes that forest biomass energy is necessary, and the governments of major countries are aware of its importance. Significantly, Forest biomass for energy is based on an overwhelming level of scientific consensus recognized internationally.

This study analyzed the hydrogen conversion rate and microbial community in conjunction with changes in carbohydrate concentration during hydrogen fermentation using food waste, and presented comprehensive research results for the condition 80 g Carbo COD/L, which showed the highest efficiency with a carbohydrate removal rate of 98.1% and a hydrogen conversion rate of 1.76 mol H₂/mol. The microbial community analysis found that Clostridium sp., widely known as a hydrogen-producing microorganism, was released in 80 g Carbo COD/L and confirmed that it was a dominant species at 98.1%. Conversely, in 100 g Carbo. Under COD/L conditions, Leuconostoc sp. showed the maximun prevalence, which is believed to hinder hydrogen production.