South Korea Plans To Add 100 GW Of Renewable Energy By 2030

South Korea has announced a 10-year plan to add 100 gigawatts of renewable energy to its power grid by 2030, backed by nearly $750 billion in investment. The plan, called the Korea-Green Transformation Strategy, also calls for upgrading transmission lines so that new wind and solar power can actually reach homes and businesses. The country currently has 160 gigawatts of total generating capacity, including 26 gigawatts of nuclear power, and hit a record demand of 104 gigawatts during an August heat wave.

Part of the plan touches on home energy directly: LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics are teaming up on a project to expand the use of heat pumps (electric systems that both heat and cool a home far more efficiently than furnaces or standard air conditioners) and other low-carbon equipment for homes. The government is also pushing electric and hydrogen vehicles, aiming for them to make up 70 percent of new car and truck sales by 2035, with new subsidies for EVs built with low-carbon steel. Those subsidies may vary depending on how much renewable power is available in a given region.

This is a national policy plan for South Korea, not a program US homeowners can apply to. But it's a sign that heat pumps and other home electrification technology are becoming a bigger part of government energy strategy worldwide, which can affect how widely available and affordable this equipment becomes over time.