새만금 조력발전의 에머지(Emergy) 평가

Emergy evaluation of the tidal power plant for Saemanguem, Korea

Tidal power generation is recommended to acquire renewable resource and to improve water quality as well as to restore mud-flat in the Saemangeum reclamation region where has taken a heavy environmental degradation. In this study, emergy analysis was performed to gain overviews of the relationship between human activity and nature in a situation when tidal power is generated, the rate of renewable energy use increases more than 10% from continuous tidal ebb and flow comparing with original reclamation project. From the emergy signature analysis on reclamation projects, the most emergy input for seawall construction was also committed. The transformity of referred tidal power plant for Saemangeum was lower than the conventional electricity of the 2.77E+05 and an efficiency was also lower, but emergy yield ratio of 4.38 was secondary energy sources. Emergy investment ratio of 0.30 means that the tidal power plant depends on the continuous supply of natural resources, and the results show that the emergy sustainable index of 14.03 was estimated to be sustainable. From the emergy cost-benefit analysis, the net cost of the existing reclamation project was estimated at 296 billion em￦ per year and the net profit of the tidal power was estimated at 281 billion em￦ per year. Therefore, the results of this study for a tidal power project can utilize the renewable energy for green growth and it can create ecological restoration of the tidal-flat for vital habitat in Saemangeum region.