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The Restoration of a Local Energy Regime Amid Trends of Power Liberalization in East Asia: The Seoul Sustainable Energy Utility

The Restoration of a Local Energy Regime Amid Trends of Power Liberalization in East Asia: The Seoul Sustainable Energy Utility

Authors :
Yu, Jung-Min
Source :
Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society. 2009 29(2):124-138.
Publication Year :
2009

Abstract

Since the mid-1980s, power sector liberalization has been embraced at different levels in the East Asian countries of China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. The dominant rationale underlying power liberalization has been a quest for efficiency improvements, to be achieved by substituting private market activity for public regulations and by opening a country's electricity system to the global economy and management techniques. However, as the power system is increasingly liberalized, the possibility of establishing a local energy system, which has the great potential to restore sustainable environment-society relations, has been diminished. As an alternative to the power liberalization strategy, this paper proposes a restoration of local energy regimes based on the model of an energy commons and a decentralization paradigm. The innovative energy-policy model of the Sustainable Energy Utility, as applied in the case of Seoul, Korea, is explored as a possible option for a local energy strategy for East Asian countries. (Contains 4 figures and 6 notes.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
0270-4676
Volume :
29
Issue :
2
Database :
ERIC
Journal :
Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
EJ832447
Document Type :
Journal Articles<br />Reports - Descriptive
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1177/0270467608330024