Balancing a decarbonizing power system

South Korea can strengthen its energy security and decarbonize its power system by expanding renewable energy and nuclear power while simultaneously building the flexibility needed to manage periods of excess supply, according to an analysis by Aurora Energy Research (Balancing a decarbonising power system).

The analysis highlights a central challenge facing power systems that add large volumes of renewables and nuclear: as low-carbon generation grows, supply can at times exceed demand, making system flexibility essential. This dynamic, often referred to as the "duck curve," has already emerged in markets such as California, where midday solar output can outpace demand, and has driven rapid deployment of battery storage there. Flexibility resources such as battery storage can absorb surplus electricity when generation is high and release it when output falls, helping to balance the grid without relying on fossil-fuel plants. Korea has historically lagged other developed economies in battery storage on its grid, with most of its battery manufacturing capacity exported rather than installed domestically, making flexibility buildout a relatively new policy frontier for the country.

South Korea, which relies heavily on imported energy—more than 90 percent of its energy needs come from overseas, among the highest shares in the OECD—has pursued nuclear power and renewable energy as key pillars of its energy policy and its commitments to reduce carbon emissions, including its nationally determined contribution under the Paris Agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 2018 levels by 2030. Nuclear power currently supplies roughly a third of the country's electricity. The original article is available at KED Global.