농업부문의 청정에너지 생산·이용실태 분석

Abstract

청정에너지는 환경을 오염시키지 않은 깨끗한 에너지로써 자연친화적이고 재생가능하다. 또한 고갈의 위협에 직면해 있는 화석에너지를 대체할 수 있다는 점에서 주목받고 있다. 청정에너지가 확대 보급될 경우 고유가에 의한 경영비 압박을 해소하고, 농업부문에서 발생하는 자원을 재활용할 수 있다는 점에서도 관심이 높다. 농업부문에서 이용할 수 있는 청정에너지로는 현재 지열 및 공기열, 바이오가스, 목재펠릿 등이 있다. 이들 에너지원은 경제적, 환경적 측면에서 많은 직간접적인 편익을 제공해 주기 때문에 향후 대체에너지원으로서 크게 활용될 것으로 기대된다. 그러나 아직은 초기 시설설치비의 부담과 운영 시스템의 미정착, 이용효과의 불확실성 등 여러 문제로 인해 이용이 활발하지 못하다. 그럼에도 농업·농촌의 경쟁력 강화를 위해서 지역 특성을 고려한 환경 친화적 에너지원 개발과 보급이 필요하다. 궁극적으로 에너지 자립을 지향하는 청정에너지의 보급 및 이용확대에 대한 연구와 사회적 실천이 필요하다. 이 연구는 농업부문에서 생산·이용하고 있는 청정에너지원별 운영 실태와 문제점을 조사하고 이를 토대로 개선방안을 도출하였다. 또한 청정에너지원별 사례조사를 통해 경영성과를 분석하고 청정에너지 보급확대를 위한 방안을 제시하였다.

Clean energy can be used for farming activities and replace fossil fuels. In Korea, geothermal and air source heat pumps, biogas plants, and wood pellets are currently available for use in the agriculture sector. These energy sources are expected to play an important role in the future as they can provide direct and indirect benefits in terms of economy, productivity, and environmental aspects. The main goal of this research is to analyze the current shape of clean energy use in the agricultural sector and find out problems of management through research and case studies. Also, we present a few suggestions to improve the production and use system. The government plans to expand the use of clean energy as an alternative energy source to replace fossil fuels and, as part of this plan, it is promoting various pilot projects and policies such as the low-carbon green growth policy. According to a survey of farmers, the economy of geothermal and air source heat pumps is higher than that of the currently used fuels. The survey has also found that although wood pellets are economically infeasible because of high raw material cost, they are more effective in improving productivity and quality. However, there is a problem in that the initial installation cost is high due to lack of technical skills related to construction and operation, and the effect of its use is highly uncertain. Especially because there is no infrastructure for installation, operation, and follow-up control of clean energy facilities, the production and use of clean energy is limited. Therefore, efficient support policies are most important to maximize clean energy utilization. First of all, the opportunity to participate in alternative energy projects should be expanded by increasing the support scale of the central and provincial governments. Also, government support should be focused on lowering the initial raw material and installation cost and developing clean energy technology rather than on machinery and equipment. The economic feasibility of operating a clean energy facility should also be raised by increasing the technology level through research and development. And it is necessary to foster a professional supplier who can build a batch system for overall operation of the facilities from integrated design and construction to farm monitoring and after-sales services. Finally, in order to maximize the use of clean energy in agricultural and rural sectors, it is necessary to develop renewable energy systems that are unique to a region. The self-sufficient resource-recycling agriculture that best uses local resources can produce ripple effects in downstream and upstream sectors of the economy, including not only reduction of carbon dioxide but also increase in energy security, stimulation of local economy, creation of jobs, and protection of the environment.

Researchers: Hyun-Tae Park, Hye-Sung Han Research Period: 2011. 1~2011. 11. E-mail address: htpark@krei.re.kr, funny1978@krei.re.kr