Achieving Net Zero and transitioning to renewable energy are emerging as international issues. A forum was held to discuss the current status and conditions of global RE100 implementation in each country and to explore practical measures for practicing carbon neutrality.

It was announced that at the 'RE100 International Conference for a Carbon-Neutral Future' hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the organizing body of the RE100 campaign and domestic and international companies and institutions discussed global cooperation measures regarding RE100 implementation methods, such as expanding the use of renewable energy.

This conference discussed effective RE100 implementation strategies for Northeast Asian countries, including South Korea, where the environment for the deployment and use of renewable energy is relatively unfavorable.

To achieve RE100, there are methods such as using only electricity produced from renewable energy, purchasing renewable energy electricity through the Green Premium system, or purchasing RECs (Renewable Energy Certificates) equivalent to the electricity consumed. However, there is a problem in the domestic market where all methods are at the level of 1.5 to 2 times that of Europe.

Furthermore, Korea's fundamental renewable energy production is low, which appears to be due to factors such as its small land area compared to overseas, a high proportion of mountainous terrain, limited potential for hydropower and bioenergy, and isolated power grids.

In the keynote speeches at the event, global RE100 organizers CDP and The Climate Group emphasized “corporate voluntary carbon VC” efforts, while KEI Consulting presented Korea’s RE100 implementation conditions and improvement measures.

Emphasizing the role of carbon emission information disclosure and the RE100 campaign in fulfilling climate change response responsibilities, recommendations were made for institutional improvements to expand Korea's RE100 implementation level.

■ RE100 Compliance Recognition Criteria: Different Standards from Overseas Must Apply

KEI Consulting stated that high renewable energy purchase and investment costs resulting from limited supply conditions are the biggest obstacle to implementing RE100 in Korea. Furthermore, they suggested that "there is a need to review flexible criteria for recognizing implementation that take these circumstances into account."

During the panel discussion, the panelists stated that renewable energy procurement conditions in countries such as South Korea and Taiwan are relatively unfavorable compared to the EU and North America. In addition, opinions were presented suggesting the need to review improvement measures for renewable energy procurement and certification standards.

Yuan Huanglin, Vice President of Taiwan Cement, stated, “There is a need to improve recognition standards, such as for overseas REC purchases,” and argued that “cooperative linkages are necessary not only between Korea and Taiwan, which have similar industrial structures, but also within the Northeast Asian region.”

Professor Yonghoon Jeong of KAIST stated, “Although RE100 is a global campaign, it is appropriate to proceed by considering the conditions of each country, as renewable energy prices and other factors vary by country,” and also expressed the opinion that “CF100, which aims for the carbon-free operation of real-time electricity consumption, should be promoted first to achieve carbon neutrality.”

CF100 stands for 'Carbon Free 100%,' meaning 'zero carbon emissions,' and signifies that all electricity consumed is supplied by carbon-free energy that does not emit carbon. This concept emerged because achieving 100% renewable energy usage is realistically difficult.

Choi Yeon-woo, Director General for Renewable Energy Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, stated, "We highly appreciate the various considerations and efforts of companies toward carbon neutrality, such as their participation in the RE100 campaign." He added, "The government will continue to expand renewable energy to ensure that domestic companies face no setbacks in using it," while also noting, "In the short term, we will review various incentives for RE100 companies to alleviate their burden. In the long term, we plan to strive to establish a cost-effective deployment system and strengthen the competitiveness of the domestic renewable energy industry."