“What the hell is this place? Are they building a Jurassic Park theme park or something?”
Thick beads of sweat roll down James’s forehead as he struggles up the steep hill.
“I mean, seriously, a guy that rich shouldn’t treat people like this.”
The fantasy James had harbored the moment he landed the electrical systems contract for the ultra-luxury resort that Brian Lee, owner of a massive Korean IT company, was building on an uninhabited island in Korea’s southern coast had been thoroughly shattered. The journey from Muan International Airport to the project base camp on the deserted island had been nothing short of grueling.
“What the… damn it.”
Finally climbing the hill where the base camp supposedly stood, James’s gaze falls upon a helicopter and an enormous Mongolian yurt, one after the other.
“Well, well, a dapper Indiana Jones in a fancy suit. You must be James?”
Before the bewildered James can react, Brian, oozing money from every pore, appears at his side.
“Yes, Chairman Brian Lee.”
“Please, just call me Brian.”
The contrast is striking: the relaxed expression of a billionaire versus James, covered head to toe in dust.
The interior of the massive yurt erected on the barren hilltop of the uninhabited island is incredibly luxurious. Images of the ultra-luxury resort Brian is building flash through James’s mind.
‘These facilities must consume massive amounts of electricity!’
“Well then, let’s hear the plan you’ve prepared.”
James accepts the glass of carbonated water filled with ice, but before he can take even a single sip, he sets it down and pulls out his briefcase.
“Your initial request was that you wanted all the electricity for this luxury resort to come exclusively from renewable energy…”
“That’s right, exactly. You have no idea how sensitive global super-rich people are about renewable energy these days. So this resort needs to generate all its required energy from solar, wind, things like that.”
While listening to Brian’s enthusiastic pitch, James quickly gulps down the cold carbonated water, barely managing to suppress the words ‘Do you know how much CO2 that helicopter you rode here emits?’ from escaping his throat.
“Right, renewable energy is definitely the trend these days.”
“Not just a trend—it’s the direction we must go. Heh heh.”
James puts on the smile-wearing face he’d practiced the entire way here, substituting it for a response.
“So then, how much budget do we need for the electrical facilities for this resort with about 200 rooms?”
Just as expected. Rich people and politicians think everything is too simple. The budget varies wildly depending on what strategy you prepare the electrical facilities with, but these people just ask, ‘So, how much is it?’
James carefully opens his mouth. This part is crucial. One wrong answer and everything could fall apart.
“Well, um… setting up electrical facilities with renewable energy is different from using generators, so depending on what choices you make, the costs can vary as drastically as heaven and earth.”
“Why so complicated? So how much? You must have come up with a price. You should make a good profit from this, shouldn’t you?”
“For starters, what I’d recommend is installing a few solar panels in a way that doesn’t harm the scenery, and actually producing the power with gas generators installed underground. This way, the cost…”
The moment he notices Brian’s face contorting, James quickly stops talking.
“What do you take me for, talking like that? If I do that kind of smoke-and-mirrors act and people find out later, what will they call me?”
Brian’s irritated voice makes James nervous, but explaining poorly would cause even bigger problems. James pauses briefly before continuing.
“Of course, that’s true, but…”
“But?”
“Renewable energy in reality is quite different from what you see in the media.”
At the mention of media, Brian breaks into a bright smile.
“You do know I can control media outlets at will, don’t you?”
James suddenly feels utterly pathetic. Explaining things to someone like this wasn’t his forte.
“Still, since you came all this way with difficulty, go ahead and explain. If you have something to say.”
Brian, who had been watching the dust-covered James, leans back on the luxury sofa and gives James another chance.
“Alright, let me explain.”
Brian’s eyes sparkle.
“First, a 200-room luxury resort would consume between a minimum of 130kWh and a maximum of 1400kWh per hour.”
“Trying to overwhelm me with technical jargon, I see. Fine, fine. So somewhere between 130 and 1400, right? That’s a hell of a range.”
James wipes the sweat from his forehead with his palm and continues.
“Yes, and the only generation method applicable to this island is solar power.”
“Why’s that? Wouldn’t wind turbines be charming, like Dutch windmills?”
“Hmm~ That could work, but the noise generated by spinning wind turbines can be quite bothersome, and during migratory bird season, quite a few birds die from hitting the spinning blades.”
“Oh~ then absolutely not. This is a luxury resort—we can’t have loud noise. Plus it would be unsightly to have dead birds scattered everywhere.”
Brian grimaces briefly before continuing.
“Alright then, let’s generously install solar panels that produce about 1400 or whatever per hour of electricity.”
James sighs inwardly and continues his explanation in a cautious voice.
“However, if it’s a luxury resort, you’ll use the most electricity in the evening, and after sunset, solar panels can’t generate any power at all.”
Brian’s already large eyes grow even wider.
“Oh no, that’s a problem I never even considered.”
After pondering briefly, Brian produces a cunning smile.
“But there’s something called ESS, isn’t there? Don’t forget I’m the head of an IT company.”
“As expected, you’re impressive. That’s right. There is such a thing as ESS.”
Perhaps from being on edge, wrinkles form on James’s brow.
“So assuming we use the power stored in the ESS after sunset, if we use the most electricity between 7 PM and 2 AM, we’d need a minimum of seven ESS units with 1400kWh output, one unit from 2 AM until sunrise, and one more as backup… a total of nine units.”
“Okay, so then…”
Just as Brian is about to make a decision, James quickly interjects.
“Wait, but nine units alone wouldn’t be enough if there’s heavy rain or a typhoon.”
At James’s additional explanation, Brian responds with annoyance.
“Fine, fine. So how many more do we need in total?”
“Looking at past climate data for this region, when a typhoon comes through, it seems to rain for about three to four days. So we’d need additional ESS to last at least five days, wouldn’t we?”
“So 9 plus 5, 14 units total?”
“During a typhoon, we’d need to use the stored electricity even during daylight hours, so we’d need at least 20 units or more.”
“This is absurd. Isn’t this just a scheme to milk me for ESS units?”
Avoiding Brian’s suspicious gaze, James continues his additional explanation.
“But if we install this many ESS units, another problem arises.”
“What? What other problem is there?”
“There are two main issues. First, installing ESS modules would make parts of the island look like they’re filled with factory equipment, and second, to charge 20 units, we’d need extra solar panels as well.”
Brian’s expression changes.
“Wait a minute, so we’d need to install 20 more sets of solar panels too? What kind of nonsense is this? If you need that many backup facilities, how can solar power be considered cheap?”
James takes another deep breath, waiting for Brian to calm down. Looking at James, Brian suddenly throws out a question with an excited expression, as if something has occurred to him.
“So then, to replace a significant portion of Korea’s entire power grid with solar generation, how many ESS units would Korea Electric Power need to install? Have they installed that many ESS units so far?”
“From Korea Electric Power’s standpoint, there’s no need to go that far.”
“Why not? Do they have some other trick?”
“Actually, from a power grid operator’s perspective, insufficient solar generation isn’t a problem. Since it’s an intermittent power source anyway, they always have backup power ready.”
“What does that mean?”
“Backup gas power plants exist. They generate power when solar output is insufficient due to weather, and receive subsidies for losses incurred during times when they’re not generating. The problem is actually when there’s too much solar generation. The reason for installing ESS on the mainland is to store this excess generation and supply electricity during other times so backup power plants can rest. These days there are many renewable energy curtailments, so solar operators are filing lots of complaints.”
“Curtailments?”
“Yes, when solar generation becomes too high, the risk of blackouts increases, so the power exchange tells solar operators to stop generating. Then the operators lose revenue, so they pull strings with local politicians to get ESS installed somehow. Since it’s not being installed with the solar operators’ money, after all.”
“Completely opposite from our situation. By the way, who pays for those backup power plants and ESS installations?”
“That’s shared by all citizens, essentially.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“All costs required for power supply are added to electricity rates. So whether it’s industrial, commercial, or residential, all users who need electricity share the burden. That’s why you don’t need to worry like this, Chairman.”
Brian’s face is filled with irritation. James doesn’t miss this moment.
“Actually, to install the capacity of solar panels I mentioned on this island, there’d be almost no space left. So just symbolically install a few solar panels near the dock to supplement the electricity needed there, and generate the actual power with LNG generation—that would be most efficient.”
“It’s efficient, but then I can’t advertise that I’m using renewable energy.”
Finally, the moment James has been waiting for arrives. After pausing briefly, James delivers his prepared knockout blow.
“You don’t need to worry about that. You can just buy certificates saying you use renewable energy.”
“What?”
“It’s the method companies like Apple use. Hyundai Motor seems to be following this approach these days too.”
“What’s that?”
“Renewable energy generators are given something called RECs—a kind of renewable energy certificate—which they sell to electricity users. So companies like yours that want to advertise renewable energy use can purchase these certificates for their electricity consumption, and you can officially document your renewable energy use.”
Suddenly Brian’s face brightens.
“Wait, what? So even if I bring in an LNG generator on this island and produce electricity, I can advertise that I’m using renewable energy just by buying RECs?”
“Exactly. That’s how Apple can claim all the electricity at their major U.S. facilities is from renewable energy. Since their electricity-intensive production facilities are overseas, if they just buy RECs for their office electricity consumption, they can create the effect of appearing to use completely renewable energy.”
“Hmm, Apple really is brilliant. Let’s do that for this resort project then. You’re smarter than I thought.”
Brian breaks into a broad smile and shakes hands with James.
“If we install solar panels over the walkway from the dock to where guests board the resort bus, they’ll provide shade and block rain—two birds with one stone. That level of facility should solve most of the electricity needs at the dock.”
“What if the power goes out though?”
“Since we’re using renewable energy, wouldn’t it be better from a marketing perspective to say we tolerate that level of inconvenience?”
Brian bursts into laughter.
“Oh! This James fellow is quite something. Great. If by chance the power goes out at the dock, well, it’s unlikely to happen during daylight hours, and our main clients will arrive by helicopter anyway so they won’t care. Let’s do it. It’ll be a wonderful renewable energy paradise.”
James picks up his bag and looks out the window. The helicopter engine starts up. In the distance beyond the sea, the sun is setting.
‘Who’s fooling whom?’
James smirks inwardly. And as he boards the helicopter, he waves with a smiling face to Brian Lee, who’s waving at him. Toward the spectacle of massive CO2 emissions once again…