Largest tracking solar power plant in Korea

Korea, the world’s tenth largest energy-consuming nation and 16th greatest producer of greenhouse gases celebrated it’s completion of the world’s largest tracking-type solar power plant in Shinan, South Jeolla Province. This plant started generating commercial power on Wednesday. Tracking-type power generation refers to an electricity producing method that follows the movement of the sun.This type of power generation is more than 15% more effective than the conventional fixed-type power production. As large as 93 football fields, the Shinan power plant houses a 24-megawatt power generator, which makes it the world’s largest tracking-type solar power plant and the third largest solar power generator in the category of fixed and tracking types combined.

Representing Korea’s commitment to developing new alternative energy sources, Shinan solar power plant will generate and supply enough electricity for roughly 10 thousand households. This will have the same effect as reducing 25 thousand tons of carbon dioxide emission per year, the amount equal to what 30 thousand cars emit in a year. Korea has thus taken the first step toward realizing its energy plan of increasing the use of renewable energy up to 13% by the year 2030.

The completion of the Shinan solar power plant marks a meaningful milestone for the Korean government’s low-carbon, green growth policy. The Green Policy is Korea’s measure to deal with climate change and greenhouse gas emission in the post-Kyoto Protocol era.

Rapid global warming precipitated by the reckless use of fossil fuel has caused devastating natural disasters and environmental changes, which could threaten our quality of life and even the very survival of mankind. It has thus become extremely vital and urgent to develop clean, non-carbon-emitting energy sources.

Korea is the world’s tenth largest energy-consuming nation and 16th greatest producer of greenhouse gases. So it’s inevitable for Korea to make extensive efforts to cut greenhouse gas emission. However, unlike other advanced nations, that have restructured their industries around the low-emission service and IT sectors, it’s been difficult for Korea to drastically reduce carbon emissions because Korea has enjoyed phenomenal growth on the back of its gas-guzzling heavy chemical industries.

However, the renewable energy sector is a fairly new industry with little technology gap between advanced nations and Korea. Alternative energy could propel the Korean economy forward if the nation comes up with revolutionary innovations. The global solar energy industry is growing at an annual rate of 40%. Korea’s solar energy development could lead to less dependence on imported oil and help counter the nationalistic tendencies of resource-rich nations.

Countries around the world are moving fast to develop renewable energy sources to cut carbon emission and sustain economic growth. The United States plans to meet 35% of the nation’s energy demand with solar power by 2050. Japan has invested over 3% of its gross domestic product to solar power generation and China has made the world’s third largest investment in energy research and development. The European Union also aims to use alternative energy for 20% of its power demand by 2020.

Korea’s Shinan solar power plant is thus expected to provide a new impetus to the nation’s green growth plan and take Korea to another level in clean energy development.

Image Credit: KBS Global