CHP is firmly embedded in the Republic of Korea, mainly due to its role alongside the country's extensive district heating systems. The country now has ambitious plans for the expansion of both technologies and is working on district cooling technologies too, writes David Hayes following a recent visit.
Government plans call for the number of district heating users to increase by one third over the next four years as part of wider efforts to increase clean energy consumption at a time of rising energy costs, without slowing down economic growth.
The government's target will also help boost the use of renewable energy in South Korea, as all district heating companies building new CHP units are required to build renewable energy projects whether or not they are connected to those district heating projects.
South Korea's district heating market has expanded steadily during the past decade, due to the increase in the number of nuclear families living in high rise apartments, and government support for CHP through its planning policy and tax incentives. The population of 49 million consists of 14.4 million households, of which 1.87 million households, or 13% of the total, use district heating.
Government plans call for another 670,000 households to use district heating by 2013 to meet stricter environmental targets. The number of households using district heating will grow by 36%, with almost one in six households planned to use district heating by the end of the current CHP development phase.
The government's plan is to extend district heating to 2.54 million households, so it is a big increase in three years,' commented Chul Jong Yoo, senior manager of Korea District Heating Corporation's (KDHC) global business team, 'Most of the new users will live in the Seoul-Incheon area as the climate is colder there and the population density is high.'
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