Gokseong-gun's Renewable Energy Project Equivalent to 130,000 Pine Trees Annually

415 Sites to Install Solar Power and More by Year-End through New Renewable Energy Convergence Projects -

Annual Energy Cost Savings of 600,000 KRW per Household and Environmental Protection Included

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seonsik] Gokseong-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Yoo Geun-gi) announced on the 15th that it plans to complete the installation of solar power and other renewable energy sources at 415 locations by the end of this year through the renewable energy convergence project.

Gokseong-gun applied for the renewable energy convergence project hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Energy Agency last year and was finally selected in December. After going through related administrative procedures, the installation of renewable energy sources began in March this year in the areas of Gokseong-eup and Ojok-myeon Ojiri.

The renewable energy convergence project involves installing solar power, solar thermal, or fuel cells in houses, public buildings, and general buildings. This year, Gokseong-gun’s project volume includes 375 solar power sites, 39 solar thermal sites, and 1 fuel cell site, costing a total of about 3.6 billion KRW (3 billion KRW subsidy, 600 million KRW self-payment).

So far, Gokseong-gun has completed the installation of renewable energy sources at 239 locations, which accounts for about 58% of the total project volume (415 locations). Specifically, 227 solar power sites and 12 solar thermal sites have been completed.

Additionally, installation work is underway at 70 locations. For the remaining households and those who gave up midway, applicants will be recruited and installations will be carried out within this year. Anyone residing in Gokseong-gun within the project area can apply without complicated conditions such as income criteria.

If the project is completed as planned this year, it is estimated that about 633 TOE of fossil energy will be replaced annually through solar power and solar thermal energy. This is equivalent to planting 137,928 pine trees.

The energy cost-saving effect is also excellent. When solar power is installed in a house, about 3,800 kW of electricity can be produced annually per site. In terms of cost, this saves about 600,000 KRW per year.

In the case of solar thermal energy, which can replace boiler kerosene, 9,000 kcal can be saved per day, amounting to about 420,000 KRW annually.

In particular, the renewable energy convergence support project is popular because it reduces the self-payment by about 30% compared to similar other projects. When installing renewable energy through a general housing support project, 30% of the installation cost must be self-paid. However, in the convergence project, only 20% is self-paid.

This is because the proportion of government subsidies supported by Gokseong-gun is about 10% higher than that of the housing support project, and the national support rate is about 1.5% higher. As a result, based on the installation of a 3 kW solar power system, only 1 million KRW of self-payment is required, which is about 500,000 KRW less than the general housing support project.

A resident A, who installed solar power facilities through the project, expressed satisfaction, saying, “Before, I rarely used the air conditioner because of the electricity bill. After installing solar power, the burden was greatly reduced, so I spent this summer without even realizing how hot it was.”

Gokseong-gun intends to expand the distribution of renewable energy not only for the energy welfare of its residents but also for environmental conservation. To this end, it has already applied for the 2022 renewable energy convergence project. A county official said, “We will continue to strive to secure national funds so that the project can continue in the future.”

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seonsik hss79@asiae.co.kr

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