Daegu City is pushing for various policies to expand a diversified power-generating capacity to achieve 20% new renewable energy penetration by 2030. It plans to actively expand support projects that citizens can participate in to enhance their status and set the stage for a leap toward becoming a Solar City.
There are three main projects for citizens. The first is a ‘housing support project’ that provides 3-kilowatt solar energy installation in homes. This project pays state funds and subsidies when installing solar energy and geothermal heating for houses and apartments. Suppose the electricity consumption is under 350kW per month. In that case, a 3kW solar energy installation will save about 580,000 won a year in electric bills.
The second is the ‘Convergence Support Project,’ which intensively installs solar energy and geothermal heat systems in certain areas for houses and buildings. This is a public offering organized and supported by Daegu City. This year’s project plans to distribute 3,476kW of solar energy to 367 sites finalized through open applications last year.
Finally, six solar ‘Citizen Sunlight Power Plant’ construction projects were built and operated by citizen unions. They installed solar energy facilities and made a profit for public institution sites. The rate of return has been about 4%.
Citizens who want to participate in these projects can find information on the Daegu Citizens’ Sunshine Development Cooperative website (http://www.dgsolar.kr). Lee Seung-dae, director of the Innovative Growth Bureau of Daegu City, said, “We expect the expansion of citizen-led renewable energy supply to serve as a big stepping stone for the government’s Green New Deal policy and the creation of a carbon-neutral Daegu. We hope that citizens would be actively interested and participate in the projects to enhance our Solar City’s status.”
