Can renewables power Korea’s AI ambitions?

Lee Duck-hwan
 
The author is an honorary professor at Sogang University.

A major fire broke out in March 2025 at an energy storage system (ESS) facility attached to a solar power plant in Gangjin, South Jeolla. Within 24 minutes, 123 firefighters and 31 fire engines arrived at the scene. Yet they were powerless against the thermal runaway of lithium-ion batteries.
 
The enclosed facility made conventional firefighting methods ineffective. During the 10 hours it took for the fire to burn itself out, 3,852 battery modules worth more than 10 billion won ($6.4 million) were destroyed.
 
A large-scale solar power installation is seen in the Saemangeum region of North Jeolla Province. The project is one of Korea’s largest solar energy developments. [SAEMANGEUM DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTMENT AGENCY]

 
ESS fires are not rare. The first major incident occurred in Gochang, North Jeolla, in August 2017. Over the next two years and five months, 30 ESS fires were reported nationwide. Most involved fully charged lithium-ion batteries. Authorities eventually restricted new installations and operations. The problem persists. During the past five years alone, 59 ESS fires have caused nearly 89 billion won in damages.
 
This matters because ESS facilities are essential to renewable energy. They compensate for the intermittent nature of solar and wind power by storing electricity generated during favorable conditions and supplying it when production falls. Without reliable storage, renewable energy cannot provide stable power. Yet ESS systems remain vulnerable to fire and economically burdensome. Because battery performance deteriorates over time, entire systems often require replacement every 10 years. Sunlight and wind may be free, but renewable energy infrastructure is not.
 
Lithium-ion batteries, first commercialized in 1991, are among the most successful modern technologies. They are lightweight, energy-dense, efficient and durable compared to conventional batteries.
 
Their operation relies on the movement of lithium ions between electrodes through a liquid electrolyte. During discharge, ions travel from the negative electrode to the positive electrode, generating electricity. The principle resembles pumped-storage hydropower, where water is pumped uphill and later released to produce electricity.
 
The technology’s weakness lies in a thin separator membrane that prevents contact between the electrodes. If manufacturing defects or damage create even a tiny hole, an internal short circuit can trigger thermal runaway. Fires involving electric vehicles, ESS facilities and portable batteries have often been linked to this mechanism.
 
There are ways to reduce the risk. Strict quality control remains the most effective safeguard. High-quality batteries used in smartphones rarely catch fire. Safety can also be improved by lowering charge levels. The aviation industry, for example, requires many lithium-ion batteries to be transported at no more than 30 percent charge.
 
Such measures are difficult to apply to ESS facilities, whose purpose is to store large amounts of electricity.
 
Alternative storage technologies exist. Pumped-storage hydropower can serve as a large-scale ESS for renewable energy. Korea resumed construction of pumped-storage facilities in 2017 after a five-year suspension, partly because of concerns about renewable energy storage. Yet such facilities are expensive and suitable sites are limited.
 
These challenges have become more significant as the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment pursues an ambitious renewable energy agenda.
 
The ministry’s first Basic Plan for Renewable Energy, covering 2026 to 2035, aims to expand solar and wind generating capacity from 37.1 gigawatts to 100 gigawatts by 2030. It also seeks to raise the share of renewable electricity generation from 9 percent to more than 30 percent by 2035. The projected investment totals 268 trillion won.
 

According to the author, these goals conflict with the government’s ambition of becoming a global leader in artificial intelligence and semiconductors.
 
Data centers, semiconductor fabrication plants and petrochemical facilities require uninterrupted electricity around the clock. Renewable energy sources that depend on weather conditions cannot consistently meet such demand. The issue cannot be solved simply by adding more ESS capacity.
 
Land availability presents another obstacle. Installing an additional 60 gigawatts of renewable capacity within four years would require vast areas near major cities. Domestic production of solar panels and wind turbines also remains limited, raising concerns about dependence on imported equipment, particularly from China.
 
Grid integration poses further challenges. Renewable energy projects require extensive transmission infrastructure to connect dispersed generation sites to consumers. Even today, 8.9 gigawatts of renewable projects are reportedly waiting for grid connection. According to the author, that means a significant amount of electricity is already being wasted because the system cannot absorb all available generation.
 
Environmental concerns remain as well. The economic feasibility of recycling solar panels after their roughly 20-year lifespan is uncertain. Wind turbine blades are difficult to recycle, and ESS batteries often require replacement after about a decade.
 
The author argues that Korea should move beyond ideological disputes over nuclear energy. As President Lee Jae Myung has publicly noted, the discussion should focus on practical energy policy rather than political identity.
 
Major global technology companies are increasingly turning to nuclear power to secure stable electricity supplies. Even Denmark, long known for its commitment to renewable energy, has begun reconsidering the nuclear ban it adopted in 1985.
 
Nuclear power, the author contends, remains a valuable carbon-free energy source. What Korea needs is a firm commitment to reducing its risks through technology, regulation and effective oversight rather than allowing ideological divisions to determine energy policy.