Energy technology roadmap for the next 10 years: The case of Korea

The Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER), the only government-sponsored research institute specialized in the development of energy technology and policy, has established a long-term strategic energy technology roadmap (ETRM) for the period spanning from 2006 to 2015. Taking into account such variables as the energy environment, economic spin-off, and commercial potential, the ETRM was classified into 3 sectors, namely high oil prices, the UNFCCC, and the hydrogen economy. The ETRM not only represents a milestone in terms of the development of national energy technology in Korea, but also serves to identify the primary energy technologies which should be developed. The ETRM also supplies energy policymakers with successful R&D alternatives vis-à-vis the development of energy technologies under the current Korean energy environment.