• Korea Trade Review
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.111-130
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• 2018

In December 2015, the Paris Agreement was adopted to cope with global warming caused by greenhouse gas emission and to prevent the average temperature of the Earth from rising. Renewable energy sources have become important to address environmental problems such as rising sea levels, depletion of forests and fine dust. In order to grow renewable energy, government support is needed. However, excessive government support for the renewable energy industry could pose problems that include undermining fair competition and raising costs. The WTO already has heard cases involving renewable energy subsidies. This article focuses on subsidies and countervailing tariffs as well as examines WTO disputes related to renewable subsidies, and also analyze legal issues that are problematic in granting subsidies for the development of new renewable energy industries. In WTO dispute involving renewable energy subsidies, legal issues are SCM Agreement article 2 Specificity, article 3 (b) import substitution subsidy and GATT article 20. This paper proposes improvement measures such as the reintroduction of article 8 Non-Actionable Subsidies or special provisions on energy subsidy. In addition, it is necessary to clarify the interpretation of Article 3 of the subsidy agreement. However, excessive government subsidies can lead to trade friction, so the WTO rules should be improved in line with the WTO goals of environmental protection, equity in free trade, and sustainable development.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.827-858
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• 2011

In Korea, various environmentally harmful subsidies are granted in agriculture, fishery, energy, electricity, transportation, steel and shipbuilding industry. Examples include tax-exempt fuel for agriculture & fishery, VAT- exemption for briquette & anthracite, temporary subsidy for fuel, production stabilizing subsidy for coal mining, subsidy for briquette. Korea's yearly total subsidy in energy area is about 5,291 billion won, among them is 4,870 billion won. To reduce air pollutants and to mitigate climate change, Korea has to review the phase-out of environmentally harmful subsidies and the phase-in of environment-friendly subsidy. The reduction or removal of environmentally harmful subsidies will enhance economic efficiency and bring about environmental benefits. Economic efficiency means less use of inputs, which reduces environmental cost and improves social benefits. This paper applies the Shoven and Whalley's model to the Korean economy and analyzes the general equilibrium incidence effects of reforming environmentally harmful subsidies in the energy and electricity in Korea. We consider several counterfactual scenarios in which current environmentally harmful subsidies are reduced or abolished, compare them with the reference case in the economy, and evaluated the change in efficiency costs and distributional incidence of tax reforms related to subsidies.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.725-743
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• 2018

Industrial groups (representing the polluters) and environmental non-governmental organizations (representing the victims) respond differently to various environmental policy instruments. As the affected group's power is large either politically or economically, it is unlikely that a single instrument will be actually selected despite being effective or efficient because of the high political costs associated with it. In this paper, we focus on the political role that energy subsidies play in creating a compromise between energy consuming polluters and victims of pollution. The use of a Dolbear (1967)'s triangle Edgeworth box model makes it possible to examine how policy selection affects the income distribution and welfare levels of two groups. The effects of a single policy instrument of either direct regulation or tax are compared with those of a policy mix that includes energy subsidies. We found that the addition of energy subsidies would increase the chance of compromise between polluters and victims.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.57-81
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• 2010

Since the Republic of Korea is highly dependent on fossil fuels despite high oil prices, it urgently needs to renew its economic and social system to cut carbon emissions and achieve green growth. Therefore, reforming or eliminating subsidies related to the use of fossil fuels is a timely and oppropriate policy recommendation for Korea. It would be a win-win deal for Korean society as it would not only reduce the use of environmentally harmful fossil fuels but also enhance economic efficiency. In particular, cross-subsidies for industrial, agricultural and night thermal-storage power services make up more than 80 percent of all subsidies provided to the entire electric power industry sector of Korea. Of these cross-subsidies, this paper analyzes the electricity subsidy for industries, which takes up the largest share (about KRW 1.6583 trillion yearly), among the environmentally harmful subsidies in the electric power sector. Thus, the paper focuses on the analysis of ripple effect anticipated when this is reformed. To examine the effects of this subsidy reform, price elasticities were estimated using the ARDL (autoregressive distributed lag) model and quarterly data from 1990 to 2007. The main results of this study show that 1) annual energy demand for electric power in the industrial sector would drop by 12,475,930MWh and 2) $CO_2$ emissions would plummet by 2,644,897 tons per year if the subsidy were reformed. We can deduct from this that the abolition of environmentally harmful subsidies in the electric power sector in the Republic of Korea would considerably contribute to $CO_2$ emissions abatement in the country.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.317-331
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• 2015

A major barrier to the spread and vitalization of renewable energy lies in its economic infeasibility. And yet, there is a disparity in estimating the economic feasibility between supply and demand sides. Taking this into account, we calculate an appropriate level of mini-solar panel subsidies provided by the Seoul metropolitan government. More pointedly, this research investigates the receptivity and social equity of the subsidy program based on the analysis of the program's financial feasibility. The results show that the subsidies can have anticipated effects for the heavy electricity consumption group but not for the low electricity consumption group. Specifically, estimated pay-back periods for groups of 401kWh ~ 500kWh (per month) users, 201 kWh ~ 400kWh users and 101kWh ~ 200kWh were approximately 5years, 8 ~ 9 years and 12 years, respectively. This implies that differential scales of the subsidies can better contribute to reducing regressive difference between the groups and meeting the goal of social equity in regards to energy justice.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.7-12
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• 2014

This paper suggest mandatory target predestinator of natural gas wholesale and retail provider will set appropriate target. To analysis natural gas energy saving trend forecast, reduce natural gas forecast and using technology and forecast analysis for equipment is draw based on result of developing tool that more detailed gas field. Also this paper calculate effect on energy saving through various scenarios, efficiency consideration of gas equipment and subsidy condition.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.54-62
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• 2011

Since the release of mid-term domestic GHG goals until 2020, in 2009, some various GHG reduction policies have been proposed. In case of the transportation sector for the mid-term domestic GHG goals, it targets to reduce about 30% regarding the doemstic economic growth until 2020. A major reduction method in passenger cars considers an electric car. In this study we analyze some various scenarios to compare between internal combustion engine car and electric car using break-even analysis. Through the analysis we suggest a subsidy policy for electric car.

• 월간 기계설비
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• s.318
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• pp.56-58
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• 2017

국토교통부는 녹색건축물 조성지원법 시행령 시행규칙을 개정하고 1월 20일부터 제로에너지건축물 인증제 시행에 들어간다. 제로에너지건축물은 고단열 건축자재와 신재생에너지를 결합하여 외부 에너지 유입을 최소화 한 건축물로 건축주는 인증을 원할 경우 인증기관에 신청하여 제로에너지건축물 인증을 받을 수 있으며, 인증받은 건축물에 대해서는 용적률 완화, 신재생에너지 설치보조금, 기부채납 부담률 완화 등의 인센티브가 제공된다.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.35-44
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• 2015

This paper deals with the economic analysis of domestic fuel cell vehicles considering subsidy and hydrogen price in 2015 and 2025. We selected TFCV (Tucson fuel cell vehicle) and TDV (Tucson diesel vehicle) to identify the economic feasibility of fuel cell vehicles compared with conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. We made some sensitivity analysis by changing input factors such as the size of the subsidy, the hydrogen price and the discount rate. Also, we made a break-even point analysis on hydrogen prices that equalize the economic feasibility of TFCV and TDV in 2025. As a result, TFCV is not economical in 2015 due to the relatively high prices of hydrogen and vehicles. If the sale prices of TFCV are 30,000,000 won and 35,000,000 won in 2025, then the break-even points of hydrogen prices are equal to 7,483 won/kg and 5,043 won/kg.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.237-269
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• 2012

This study applies a discrete-continuous choice model to a national survey data set of automobile uses to investigate the potential impacts of a bonus-malus system for new cars in Korea. Not only the impacts on the discrete choice of automobile type and class but also those on the continuous decision making of car operation are analyzed. The characteristics of automobiles and individuals that determine car choice and operation are identified. The simulation based on the estimation result shows that an appropriately designed bonus-malus system can induce a reduction in energy consumption and $CO_2$ emission substantially without additional government expenditure.