• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.499-506
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• 2015

Recently the Korean government announced its decision to select the $3^{rd}$ proposal, which targets reducing $CO_2$ by 37% of the BAU level by 2030, for the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC). According to this proposal, natural gas (or equivalent gas) combined cycle (NGCC) are suggested as alternatives for conventional pulverized coal (PC). In this study, we analyzed the environmental, economic, and energy mixing aspects of synthetic natural gas combined cycle(SNGCC) using NETL material (2011~2012 version) and other domestic materials (2014 version). We found the following conclusions: 1) Considering carbon capture and storage (CCS) integration, $CO_2$ emission factors of SNGCC and supercritical PC are the same. However, 60% of $CO_2$ from SNGCC is produced as high pressure and high purity (99%) gas, making it highly suitable for CCS, which is now strongly supported by the government. 2) Based on the economic analysis for SNGCC using domestic materials and comparison with NGCC, it was found that the settlement price of SNGCC was 30% lower than that of NGCC.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.565-590
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• 2016

In accordance with the global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Korean government submitted its INDC (Intended Nationally Determined Contribution) of 25.7% for domestic reduction and the total of 37% reduction by 2030 including the purchase of emission reduction permit from abroad. In this study, 25.7% reduction target is being evaluated to see its impact on domestic energy system using the integrated assessment model, GCAM (Global Change Assessment Model). Results show that electricity generation from fossil fuel technologies using coal and gas decrease by 28.0%, 13.5% while that of biomass, wind power, solar energy increase by 47.6%, 22.0% and 45.4%, respectively. It is worth noting that so called new technology such as USC (ultra supercritical power generation) does not contribute to achieving the emission reduction target and careful and quantitative analysis is required for such categorization in the future.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.357-368
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• 2018

The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, requires global mitigation actions by all countries, whether they are developed or developing countries. All member countries prepared and communicated a greenhouse gas reduction target, formally called the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC). There has been some concern regarding whether the INDCs communicated are sufficient to achieve the emissions reduction needed to hold the increase in global temperature to $2^{\circ}C$ above pre-industrial levels. How to address this emissions gap in an equitable and fair manner remains controversial. Beginning in the year 2023, global stocktaking under the Paris Agreement will be performed by the Conference of the Parties to assess progress towards temperature goals. The present study, based on various composite indicators reflecting equity, fairness, ability and efficiency, analyzed the GHG reduction targets of eleven major countries and the ambitiousness of these targets. Employing share indicators and comparative ratio indicators (resulting in eight composite indicators), this study showed that when share indicators are applied, Korea's appropriate reduction requirement rate is relatively low at 1~2%. However, when comparative ratio indicators are applied, Korea's appropriate reduction requirement rate increases dramatically to 6~11%. In a similar vein, when share indicators are applied, Korea's 2030 target is very ambitious compared to other countries, while the opposite is seen with comparative ratio indicators. This strongly suggests that Korea needs to apply more share indicators than comparative ratio indicators when discussing the equitable and ambitious role of Korea in the climate debate.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.1-9
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• 2022

This study analyzed the anticipated supply-and-demand of forest biomass energy (through wood pellets) until 2050, in South Korea. Comparing the utilization rates of forest resources of five countries (United Kingdom, Germany, Finland, Japan, and S. Korea), it was found that S. Korea does not nearly utilize its forest resources for energy purposes. The total demand for wood pellets in S. Korea (based on a power generation efficiency of 38%) was predicted to be 3,629 and 4,371 thousand tons in 2034 and 2050, respectively. The anticipated total wood pellet power generation ratio to target power consumption is 1.13% (5,745 GWh), 1.17% (6,336 GWh), and 1.25% (7,631 GWh) in 2020, 2030, and 2050, respectively. Low value-added forest residues left unattended in forests are called "Unused Forest Biomass" in S. Korea. From the analysis, the total annual potential amount of raw material, sustainably collectible amount, and available amount of wood pellet in 2050 were estimated to be 6,877, 4,814, and 3,370 thousand tons, respectively. The rate of contribution to Nationally Determined Contributions was up to 0.64%. Through this study, the authors found that forest biomass energy will contribute to a carbon neutral society in the near future at the national level.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.157-170
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• 2023

In South Korea, carbon capture and storage (CCS) techniques have attracted considerable attention as part of efforts to achieve the 2030 Korean Nationally Determined Contribution. However, owing to delays in large-scale CCS projects in South Korea, interest in cross-border CCS projects, wherein CO₂ captured in South Korea is stored in overseas CCS facilities, has increased. In this study, we investigated the development status of the CarbonNet project in the Gippsland Basin, Australia. First, we provide a brief overview of sedimentary basins and CCS projects in Australia. Subsequently, we review the geological history of the Gippsland Basin, the site of the large-scale CCS project. Finally, we summarize the site selection process for the CarbonNet project and discuss the suitability of the Pelican site for large-scale CCS projects.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.41-59
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• 2022

In accordance with the enactment of 'the Paris Agreement' in 2015 and 'the Framework Act on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth for Response to the Climate Crisis' in 2021, each local government has set appropriate reduction target of greenhouse gas to achieve the nationally determined contribution (NDC, the reduction target of 40% compared to 2018) of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2030. In this study, the current distribution of GHG emissions was analyzed in a time series centered on the Chungbuk region for the period from 1990 to 2018, with the aim of reducing GHG emissions in Chungbuk by 2030 based on the 2030 NDC and scenario. In addition, the prospected reduction by 2030 was estimated considering the projected emissions according to Busines As Usual in order to achieve the target reduction of GHG emissions. Our results showed that GHG emissions in Chungbuk and Korea have been increasing since 1990 owing to population and economic growth. GHG emissions in 2018 in Chungbuk were very low (3.9 %) relative to the national value. Moreover, emissions from fuel combustion, such as cement and lime production, manufacturing and construction industries, and transportation industries, were the main sources. Furthermore, the 2030 target of GHG emission reduction in Chungbuk was set at 40.2% relative to the 2018 value, in accordance with the 2030 NDC and 2050 carbon-zero national scenario. Therefore, when projected emissions were considered, the prospected reduction to achieve the target reduction of GHG emissions was estimated to be 46.8% relative to 2018. The above results highlight the importance of meeting the prospected reduction of GHG emissions through reduction means in each sector to achieve the national and local GHG reduction target. In addition, to achieve the 2030 NDC and 2050 carbon zero, the country and each local government, including Chungbuk, need to estimate projected emissions by year, determine reduction targets and prospect reductions every year, and prepare specific means to reduce GHG emissions.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.37-48
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• 2024

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are obligated to reduce carbon emissions as a part of public sector greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets. However, Sewage Statistics(2022) shows that CO₂ emissions per wastewater treatment volumes have decreased by only 3.03 % compared to 2020, which is far from enough to meet the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets. This study aimed to find operational conditions of biological reactors that minimize total carbon footprint (CFP). Total CFP considers both direct emissions from biological processes and indirect emissions from energy consumption. A study was conducted using a computer simulation program which is called as EQPS for a 4-stage BNR WWTP. The results showed that total CFP was reduced by 10.97% compared to the design condition when the mixed liquor recirculation (MLR) was set to 100 % of the influent flow. The N₂O emission factor (EF) of the target WWTP was calculated to be 0.138-0.199 %, which is significantly lower than the IPCC default value of 1.6 %. This study proposes a method to minimize total CFP in WWTPs by optimizing biological reactor operation and emphasizes the need for further research on N₂O emission reduction.