South Korea will need to meet 27% of its total energy needs with hydrogen by 2050 in order to reach its net-zero goals, researchers have found.
Scientists at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) and the Pohang University of Science and Technology developed a South Korea-specific energy systems analysis model, based on International Energy Agency modelling, which crunches data on the country’s energy supply and demand, future demand, power profile, government policies and energy prices, among other parameters.
“To date, there has been little research that quantitatively and in-depth analysed the role of hydrogen energy in the national energy system,” said KIER in a press release. “In particular, research that takes into account our country’s energy environment is very lacking, and a scientific approach that can support national policy is needed.”
Significantly, the paper — published in the peer-reviewed journal Energy — found that the country would also be dependent on imports for 80-82% of that hydrogen, the researchers found, given the country’s relatively low renewable-energy potential, largely due to the lack of available space in the heavily populated country.
Moreover, “the higher the import share, the higher the possibility of achieving carbon neutrality”, said KIER.
However, if South Korea achieves its aim of 94% electrolyser efficiency, this would reduce the amount hydrogen required by up to 10.3%, the researchers found, in addition to reducing national power consumption by 6.4%.
The report also noted that using a higher proportion of blue hydrogen compared to green hydrogen in Korea’s H2 mix would help keep costs down.
The study is significant because it divined the role of clean hydrogen in South Korea with a model that takes the country's specific energy profile into account, using “a methodology that meets international standards,” said Sang-yong Park, researcher at KIER who led the joint study.
“We plan to conduct research to expand the model to analyse the contribution of sector coupling technologies to carbon neutrality and to popularise and expand them.”
