Biomass to Electricity: The Case of South Korea

Abstract

In this report, we investigate the biomass-based electricity potential of South Korea and the ramifications of the introduction of biomass in electricity production for the Korean electricity market. The novelty of our study lies in that we consider a broad portfolio of biomass-energy technologies and carefully analyze their potential economic and environmental implications for South Korea given its biomass availability (which we actually estimate). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to attempt this in the context of South Korea. Our biomass assessment suggests that (theoretically) biomass can be used to produce a significant portion of the total electricity consumed annually in South Korea, with the most promising feedstock being forestry residues. And out of all the technologies considered, pyrolysis of forestry residues could potentially impact the electricity market the most.