• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.519-547
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• 2017

This paper explores whether it is better to forecast city gas demand in Korea using national level data directly or, alternatively, construct forecasts from regional demand models and then aggregate these regional forecasts. In the regional model, we consider gas demand for Seoul metropolitan and the other local areas. Our forecast evaluation exercise for 2013-2016 shows the regional forecast model generally outperforms the national forecasting model. This result comes from the fact that the dynamic properties of each region's gas demands can be better taken into account in the regional demand model. More specifically, the share of residential gas demand in the Seoul metropolitan area is above 50%, and subsequently this demand is heavily influenced by temperature fluctuations. Conversely, the dominant portion of regional gas demand is due to industrial gas consumption. Moreover, electricity is regarded as a substitute for city gas in the residential sector, and industrial gas competes with certain oil products. Our empirical results show that a regional demand forecast model can be an effective alternative to the demand model based on nation-wide gas consumption and that regional information about gas demand is also useful for analyzing sectoral gas consumption.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.79-91
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• 2017

The core of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCV) is polymer solid fuel cell (PEFC), and the core material that generates electrochemical electricity in the cell is platinum catalyst. Platinum is localized in South Africa and Russia, and the world production of Pt is about 178 tons per year, which is expensive and recycled. At present, the amount of Pt used in PEFC is $0.2{\sim}0.1mg/cm^2$. In order to reduce the price of the battery and increase the FCV supply, the target is to reduce the amount of Pt used to $0.05{\sim}0.03mg/cm^2$. $Pt-Pd/Al_2O_3$, Pt/C, Pt/GCB, Pt/Au/C, PtCo/C, PtPd/C, etc. by using polyol method using nano Pt, improved Cu-UPD/Pt substitution method and nano-capsule method, Have been researched and developed, and there have been reported techniques for improving the activity of Pt catalysts and stabilizing them. This paper investigates the production technology of nano-Pt and nano-Pt catalysts, recycling of spent Pt catalysts and application trends of Pt catalysts.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.35-47
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• 2004

Using data envelopment analysis, this paper annually estimates Malmquist total factor productivity indices and decomposes them into productive efficiency change, technical change, and scale change components for three publicly-owned rail transit properties: the Seoul Subway Corporation(SSC), the Seoul Metropolitan Electrified Railways Sector of Korea National Railroad (SMESRS) and the Busan Urban Transit Authority (BUTA). The paper then conceptualizes that the property produces a single output(car-kilometers) using four inputs(labor, electricity, car and maintenance, and track) and uses unbalanced panel data consisted of annual observations on SSC, SMESRS and BUTA. The results show that the average annual growth rate of productivity of the three properties is 6.6 percent, which is 0.5 percent less than the average annual increasing rate of their labor price. They also show that the greatest part of the growth in productivity is explained by technical change and to a lesser degree by scale change and changes in productive efficiency though each of the three components contributes more than 20 percent to the growth in productivity, These results suggest that the three properties should base the increasing rate of their wages on the growth rate of their productivity and utilize existing technologies more efficiently prior to introducing new ones to raise their productivity, and that all the three components should be considered to evaluate their productivity more correctly.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.217-221
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• 2015

When reactor coolant leaks occur due to cracks of a steam generator's tube, radioactive materials contained in the primary cooling water in nuclear power plant are forced out toward the secondary systems. At this time the secondary water purification resin in the ion exchange resin tower of the steam generator blowdown system is contaminated by the radioactivity of the leaked radioactive materials, so we pack this in special containers and store temporarily because we could not dispose it by ourselves. If steam generator tube leakage occurs, it produces contaminated spent resins annually about 5,000~7,000 liters. This may increase the amount of nuclear waste productions, a disposal working cost and a unit price of generating electricity in the plant. For this reasons, it is required to develop a decontamination process technique for reducing the radioactive level of these resins enough to handle by the self-disposal method. In this research, First, Investigated the structure and properties of the ion exchange resin used in a steam generator blowdown system. Second, Checked for a occurrence status of contaminated spent resin and a disposal technology. Third, identified the chemical characteristics of the waste radionuclides of the spent resin, and examined ionic bonding and separation mechanism of radioactive nuclear species and a spent resin. Finally, we carried out the decontamination experiment using chemicals, ultrasound, microbubbles, supercritical carbon dioxide to process these spent resin. In the case of the spent resin decontamination method using chemicals, the higher the concentration of the drug decontamination efficiency was higher. In the ultrasound method, foreign matter of the spent resin was removed and was found that the level of radioactivity is below of the MDA. In the microbubbles method, we found that the concentration of the radioactivity decreased after the experiment, so it can be used to the decontamination process of the spent resin. In supercritical carbon dioxide method, we found that it also had a high decontamination efficiency. According to the results of these experiments, almost all decontamination method had a high efficiency, but considering the amounts of the secondary waste productions and work environment of the nuclear power plant, we judged the ultrasound and supercritical carbon dioxide method are suitable for application to the plant and we established the plant applicable decontamination process system on the basis of these two methods.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.21-30
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• 2017

Recently, There has been much discussed about unused space. This space can be used in a variety of ways. Utilizing it as a facility, craft shop, and utilizing renewable energy generation facilities. Especially, in terms of climate change should be supplied renewable energy. Renewable energy needs to be developed in terms of responding to climate change, and the recent Paris agreement is also emphasizing the importance of renewable energy. In particular, renewable energy needs to be widely disseminated. And renewable energy is limited space. In this regard, idle land can provide opportunities for securing new renewable energy generation facilities. The introduction of new and renewable energy facilities in idle space can enhance the self-sufficiency rate of the local community, which is significant in terms of responding to climate. In this study, to investigate the possibility of utilizing a unused space for a photovoltaic power generation facility, we investigated the amount of electricity which could be generated through photovoltaic power generation, and the economic effects, using a RETScreen model. The results showed that 9,738 MWh of power can be generated and that $4,540tCO_2eqcan$ be saved. Regarding the economic effect, the net present value of the facility was shown to be 2,247,389,020 KRW. As the net present value was shown to be positive, we believe that the installation of a photovoltaic power generation facility in an unused space would have a positive economic effect. We found the net present value following the fluctuation of the SMP price to be positive, though there was some variation. However, as the economic efficiency was shown to be low because the net present value in relation to the maintenance costs was negative, we believe that maintenance costs must be taken fully into account when evaluating economic efficiency. In particular, as subsidies can be used to cover maintenance costs which must be factored into photovoltaic power generation, we believe that photovoltaic power generation can have an economic effect. Because spaces not currently in use can have a positive economic effect as renewable energy power generation facilities, and can also contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, unused spaces are thought to greatly help local governments to cope with climate change as well as reinforcing their related capabilities. We believe our study will help local governments with decisions relating to unused real estate utilization in the future.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.557-579
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• 2021

Collective energy is an intermediate stage in energy conversion and has a great influence on the power structure as a distributed power source. However, the problem of the collective energy business has recently emerged due to the worsening profitability of some collective energy operators. This study measured the technical efficiency of major operators through the estimation of the production efficiency of Korean collective energy operators, and based on this, we looked at ways to improve the profit structure of operators. After collecting detailed data from 16 collective energy operators between 2016 and 2019, the production efficiency of operators was estimated using the panel stochastic frontier model. As a result of the estimation, combined steam power operators showed the highest production efficiency and reverse CHP operators showed the lowest efficiency. Furthermore, as a result of examining the factors influencing profitability, it was confirmed that production efficiency has a positive effect on overall profitability. However, businesses with a high proportion of heat production, such as small district electricity operators, profitability was lower. This phenomenon is due to the structural limitations of the current heat sales market. Hence, the adjustment of the heat sales unit price is necessary to improve profitability of collective energy operators.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.26-35
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• 2022

The 7th education reform in 1997 has led changes in the way buildings were constructed and such changes drove educational facilities to steadily consume more energy every year. Also, these facilities take several years' estimated expenditure as well as the increased unit price of electricity into account when planning their annual operating budget. Such circumstances may adversely affect the establishment of their budget plan since improper allocation of operating costs could take place. To propose educational facilities' operating budget management plan on electrical energy consumption, this study developed a model that help oversee the facilities' consumption of electrical energy. For the model development, the primary core variables related to electrical energy factors from the aspects of surroundings, physics, policy, etc. were derived from taking both literature research and the characteristics of these facilities into account. The secondary core variables were then derived using the correlation analysis. Lastly, the electric energy use prediction model was developed by performing regression analysis based on the derived secondary core variables.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.817-838
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• 2005

In this paper, the resource adequacy as well as the optimum fuel mix is obtained by the following procedures. First, the regulation body, the government agency, determine the reliability index as well as the optimum portfolio of the fuel mix during the planning horizon. Here, the resources with the characteristics of public goods such as demand-side management, renewable resources are assigned in advance. Also, the optimum portfolio is determined by reflecting the economics, environmental characteristics, public acceptance, regional supply and demand, etc. Second, the government announces the required amount of each fuel-type new resources during the planning horizon and the market participants bid to the government based on their own estimated fixed cost. Here, the government announces the winners of the each auction by plant type and the guaranteed fixed cost is determined by the marginal auction price by plant type. Third, the energy market is run and the surplus of each plant except their cost (guaranteed fixed cost and operating cost) is withdrew by the regulatory body. Here, to induce the generators to reduce their operating cost some incentives for each generator is given based on their performance. The performance is determined by the mechanism of the performance-based regulation (PBR). Here the free-riding performance should be subtracted to guarantee the transparent competition. Although the suggested mechanism looks like very regulated one, it provides two mechanism of the competition. That is, one is in the resource construction auction and the other is in the energy spot market. Also the advantages of the proposed method are it guarantee the proper resource adequacy as well as the desired fuel mix. However, this mechanism should be sustained during the transient period of the deregulation only. Therefore, generation resource planning procedure and market mechanisms are suggested to minimize possible stranded costs.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.257-290
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• 2005

Korean energy use in industrial sector has increased more rapidly than other sectors during 1980~2000 periods. Relatively higher increases in industrial sector energy consumption raise questions whether government policy of rationalization of industrial energy use has been effective. In this study, we use 80-85-90 and 90-95-00 constant price input-output table to analyze increases in industrial energy use. Using an adjusted version of structural decomposition model introduced by Chen and Rose (1990), we decompose Changes of energy use into 17 elements. We classify entire industry sector into 32 sectors including four energy sectors (coal and coal products, refined petroleum, electricity and town gas). We then analyze changes of energy use by industrial level to check differences among industrial energy demand structures. Finally, we compare three industries, electronic product manufacturing, metal manufacturing and construction, that represent technology and capital intensive, energy and material intensive and labor and capital intensive industry. As results, we find that high energy using industries make the most effort to reduce energy use. Primary metal, petrochemical and mon-metal industries show improvements in elements such as energy and material productivity, energy and material imports, energy substitution and material substitutions towards energy saving. These results imply that although those industries are heavy users of energy, they put the best effort to reduce energy use relative to other industries. We find various patterns of change in industrial energy use at industrial level. To reduce energy use, electronic product manufacturing industry needs more effort to improve technological change element while construction industry needs more effort to improve material input structure element.