Renewable Energy Exports and Korea's ICT Sector

What does renewable energy have to do with Korea's Information Society?  The answer is partly provided by an interesting article in the Joongang Daily this morning, entitled "Renewable Energy Sector Booms, but also Lags."  According to the Knowledge Economy Ministry and Solar & Energy, total sales in the local renewable energy market reached $7.2 billion last year, a 58 percent surge from the previous year.  Exports jumped 77 percent to $4.5 billion, mainly boosted by demand for locally made solar power generators and related equipment.  The number of firms and employees in the renewable energy sector increased accordingly.   A Ministry official, noting that the renewable energy sector consists mainly of three sectors --solar, wind and biofuel--suggested that “What Korea should focus on is to integrate existing technology from sectors such as semiconductors and liquid-crystal displays with solar power energy, and also shipbuilding with wind power."