Subsidies Provided for Installing Solar Panels in Parking Lots, Building Walls, and Traditional Markets

Seoul City Expands Subsidy Eligibility and Capacity Range for 'Residential and Building-Type Solar Mini Power Plants'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] In the future, solar power plants can be installed on building walls, parking lots, and traditional market canopies to receive subsidies.

Seoul City announced on the 24th that it will expand the scope of support and increase the capacity range for the "Residential and Building-type Solar Mini Power Plant Distribution Project," which is being promoted for homeowners and building owners.

Subsidies, which were previously only provided for solar installations on rooftops and roofs of buildings, will now be available for solar installations on any space attached to or part of a building, as long as they comply with the construction standards of Seoul City and the Korea Energy Agency. This includes general ground-mounted systems installed on the ground surface, building-attached systems installed flush against exterior walls, and building-integrated photovoltaic systems that serve as building materials.

The range of supported solar capacity has also been expanded to utilize all spaces of a building. The installation subsidy rate remains the same: 700,000 KRW per kW for homeowners installing solar panels, and 800,000 KRW per kW for building owners.

The capacity range for building solar installations has been changed from the previous 3 kW to 1 kW or more, and since there is no upper limit on the supported capacity, applicants can utilize all available installation space. However, for single-family homes, the existing capacity range (1-3 kW) is maintained to prevent excessive installation relative to household electricity consumption.

Seoul City expects that this expansion will encourage active applications from places with ample idle spaces such as building parking lots and walls, large stores like marts and traditional markets, and gas stations, which were previously difficult to participate in under the existing project.

In particular, starting this year, private solar power installations can receive subsidies for power generation over five years if they apply for the Seoul-type Sunlight Power Support System (FIT), which is expected to further promote private solar power distribution.

Applications for the installation of residential and building-type solar mini power plants can be made by selecting one of the 15 distribution companies designated by Seoul City and contacting them by phone.

Detailed project information can be found on the city’s website announcement or the Sunlight Map (http://solarmap.seoul.go.kr) notice board.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.