Comparison of Greenhouse Gas Reduction Potential through Renewable Energy Transition in South Korea and Germany

Alexander Maennel and Hyun-Goo Kim
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Alexander Maennel: New & Renewable Energy Resource & Policy Center, Korea Institute of Energy Research, Daejeon 34129, Korea
Hyun-Goo Kim: New & Renewable Energy Resource & Policy Center, Korea Institute of Energy Research, Daejeon 34129, Korea

Energies, 2018, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Germany and South Korea are the world’s sixth and seventh largest emitters of greenhouse gases, respectively; their main sources of pollution being fossil-fueled power plants. Since both countries signed the Paris Agreement in 2016, renewable energy transition is emerging as an effective means and method for avoiding air pollutant emissions and for replacing old fossil-fueled power plants. This paper attempts to evaluate—by using a grid emission factor dependent on a series of energy mix scenarios—the potential for South Korea and Germany to reduce their air pollutants (CO 2 , NO x , SO x , PM (particulate matter)) until 2030. South Korea plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by increasing nuclear power, while Germany aims to do so by shutting down its nuclear power plants and expanding the proportion of renewable energy in the energy mix to over 50%. Therefore, both countries are able to achieve their voluntary greenhouse gas reduction targets in the power sector. However, since the uncertainty of the CO 2 emission factor of coal power plants in South Korea is as high as 10%, efforts to reduce that uncertainty are required in order to produce a reliable assessment of the avoided emissions.

Keywords: greenhouse gas (GHG); reduction potential; renewable energy transition; grid emission factor; Monte Carlo simulation; South Korea; Germany (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

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