South Korea selects 436 more villages for resident solar income program, total 523
In short
South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on October 7 that it had selected 436 of the 608 villages that applied in the second round of its Haetbit Sodeuk Maeul (햇빛소득마을) program, in which residents take part in solar power projects and share the income. With the 87 villages chosen in the first round, 523 villages have now been selected. Only 23 of the 436 fully met the requirements; 413 were selected on condition, and 160 were advised to apply in a third round that closes on October 30.
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South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on October 7 that it had selected 436 of the 608 villages that applied in the second round of its Haetbit Sodeuk Maeul (햇빛소득마을) program, a resident-participation solar power project whose income is returned to the village community and residents. Including the 87 villages chosen in the first round, 523 villages have now been selected. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Of the 436, 23 villages were assessed as meeting the project requirements, such as forming a cooperative, securing a site and a funding plan. The other 413 were selected on condition, because their site lease talks are still under way or their funding plans or grid connection need some supplementing. A further 160 villages were advised to apply in the next round, and 12 withdrew for village reasons or were excluded from evaluation. Newsis and AI Times reported that the 160 were judged unable to proceed in their current state, for example because they had not secured a site or had not submitted a funding plan. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
By region, South Jeolla-Gwangju had the most selected villages with 106, followed by North Jeolla with 59, North Chungcheong and North Gyeongsang with 56 each, South Chungcheong with 47, Gangwon with 42, South Gyeongsang with 34 and Gyeonggi with 25. Newsis reported Daegu with 7, Ulsan with 2, and Incheon and Jeju with 1 each. [ 1 , 3 ]
The ministry said it will work with related agencies and local governments to help the villages with permits, financial support of up to 85%, securing sites and grid connection. A third round runs until October 30 for villages that did not apply before or were advised to reapply, with final results due at the end of December after review by an evaluation committee. AI Times quoted Nam Ho-seong (남호성), head of the program's promotion team, as saying related ministries and local governments would cooperate closely and strengthen on-site support so that villages generate real income and local vitality. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Local governments reported their results on October 8. Daegu said one village was selected and six on condition. Gumi, in North Gyeongsang, said four villages were selected: Daewon 1-ri and Daewon 2-ri in Okseong-myeon, 1,000 kW water-surface installations each, Hwangsan-ri in Goa-eup with 997 kW and Seongsu 1-ri in Sandong-eup with 713 kW, a total of 3,710 kW. Gumi Mayor Kim Jang-ho (김장호) said the city plans to find idle land in rural areas to expand renewable energy. [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Why it matters
The ministry plans to help selected villages with permits, financial support of up to 85%, sites and grid connection so that they can move into actual solar power projects whose income goes back to residents. Most of the 436 villages were selected on condition, with site lease talks, funding plans or grid connection still needing work.
Key facts
- The Ministry of the Interior and Safety selected 436 of the 608 villages that applied in the second round of the program, it said on October 7. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Including the 87 villages selected in the first round, 523 villages have been selected in all. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- 23 selected villages met requirements such as forming a cooperative, securing a site and a funding plan; 413 were selected on condition. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- 160 villages were advised to apply in the next round, and 12 withdrew or were excluded from evaluation. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- South Jeolla-Gwangju had the most selected villages, 106, followed by North Jeolla with 59. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The ministry plans support with permits, financial support of up to 85%, securing sites and grid connection. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- A third round of applications runs until October 30, with results due at the end of December. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Gumi said four of its villages were selected, with a combined capacity of 3,710 kW. [ 5 , 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- 436 of 608 applicant villages were selected in the second round. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]
- 523 villages have been selected in total, including 87 from the first round. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- 23 villages were selected outright and 413 on condition. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- 160 villages were advised to apply again and 12 withdrew or were excluded. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Selected villages can receive financial support of up to 85%. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]
- The third round closes on October 30 and its results are due at the end of December. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Four villages in Gumi were selected. [ 5 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- How many of the 413 conditionally selected villages will go on to build solar projects. The documents say these villages still need work on site leases, funding plans or grid connection, and give no follow-up.
- Whether Gumi's four villages were selected outright or on condition. The Gumi reports say the villages were selected but do not say which category they fall into.
- Support for distribution-grid energy storage installation costs in areas short of KEPCO grid capacity. Only one Newsis report on Gumi mentions this.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- October 7: Newsis and Yonhap report the ministry's selection of 436 villages in the second round. [ 1 , 2 ]
- October 8: AI Times reports the results with comments from the head of the program's promotion team. [ 3 ]
- October 8: Newsis reports Daegu's results, with one village selected and six selected on condition. [ 4 ]
- October 8: Yonhap reports that four villages in Gumi were selected, with 3.71 MW of capacity. [ 5 ]
- October 8: Newsis reports the names and capacities of Gumi's four selected villages. [ 6 ]