Korean Leading Offshore Wind Power in France: "Offshore Wind Is an Opportunity for Korea Facing Regional Decline" [Interview]

Advice and Solutions for Korea from Seungyun Han,
Research Professor at LHEEA, Ecole Centrale Nantes
"Need for a Collaborative System Like the EU to Create Synergy"
"Korea Has Sufficient Capabilities, but Must Consider Ways of Collaboration"

How does a Korean professor leading an offshore wind power project at the Laboratory of Hydrodynamics, Energetics and Atmospheric Environment (LHEEA) of Ecole Centrale Nantes?one of the top ten engineering Grandes Ecoles in France?view the wind power industry in Korea? We met Seungyun Han, a research professor at LHEEA who is actively working as a researcher in France, a country strongly committed to the transition to renewable energy. He stated that the level of wind power research in Korea is not significantly different from that in Europe, and that Korea has ample conditions to pursue offshore wind power. However, he pointed out that the lack of a collaborative system capable of generating synergy, as seen in the European Union (EU), is a major limitation that makes it difficult to expand the wind power industry.

Seungyun Han, a research professor at Ecole Centrale Nantes LHEEA, is explaining the offshore wind power project he is working on. Behind him is a device that artificially generates waves. Photo by Jeonyoung Jeon.

Professor Han believes that Korea has sufficient geographical conditions to attempt floating offshore wind power, just like France. He explained, "There is already experience with wind power generation in Jeollanam-do, the West Sea coast, and the East Sea coast, and we are actively collaborating with the International Energy Agency (IEA) to investigate Korea's wind quality, wind speed, and power generation costs. Research has progressed to the point that there are even visualized data available."

At this stage, he said, what is needed is active cooperation with other companies or countries. Professor Han stated, "Within Europe, Denmark, which excels at manufacturing wind turbine blades, and Germany, which has outstanding generator production capabilities, can cooperate. However, while Korea is strong in shipbuilding and marine engineering, it lacks experience in installing and operating generators. The key challenge is how to collaborate with overseas companies and neighboring countries to address these gaps."

Photo by Jin Jungyoung

Professor Han also emphasized that systems such as research programs that can facilitate collaboration need to be established. He said, "The Erasmus program in Europe allows students to freely take any necessary courses at any university within the EU. Even during a master's program, you might spend one semester in Spain and another in France. If Korea were to establish such collaborative programs in places strong in marine engineering, such as Ulsan or Busan, the synergy would be significant."

Above all, he advised that improving negative perceptions and misunderstandings must go hand in hand with the smooth introduction of renewable energy, including offshore wind power. Professor Han said, "It is inevitable that there will be opposition from fishermen or local residents during the installation phase of offshore wind power, and many questions arise as to whether it actually has a negative impact on the environment. During the construction phase, noise and other factors can affect the marine ecosystem, but after installation is complete, new ecosystems can form as mussels and oysters attach to the pillars. It is important to be able to explain this." He added, "In France, residents have observed the impact of offshore wind power for over ten years, and during this period, the government and research institutes continuously disclosed information transparently, which helped minimize opposition."

A professor is explaining a marine wind power generation device under research. Photo by Jeon Jinyoung.

When the Saint-Nazaire wind farm was built, a single offshore wind turbine was first installed at a nearby research facility, and researchers counted and reported the exact number of bird collisions and fatalities, making these reports publicly available to citizens, according to Professor Han. He continued, "I understand that the Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering (KRISO) has also established an offshore wind demonstration center in Jeju Island to conduct similar research in Korea. As research accumulates more and more data in this way, I believe residents will eventually be convinced by the evidence."

Professor Han also noted that offshore wind power could actually become a new opportunity for Korea. He said, "Saint-Nazaire and Nantes, where offshore wind power is currently being developed in France, were in situations similar to Ulsan Metropolitan City and Geoje Island in Korea. Nantes was also famous for shipbuilding, but as the industry declined, the city experienced a downturn comparable to the 'tears of Malmo.' The revival of the city through wind power generation and tourism offers important implications for Korea."

Professor Han majored in marine engineering at Pusan National University and joined Hyundai Heavy Industries, where he was responsible for ship hydrodynamics analysis. Based on his practical experience, he entered Ecole Centrale Nantes in 2021 and earned his doctorate. He is currently leading projects at the LHEEA research institute, including studies on fixed offshore wind structures and the optimization of offshore wind power.

This feature was supported by the Press Promotion Fund, which is financed by government advertising fees.