The Ministry of the Interior and Safety, along with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, announced the ‘National Expansion Plan for Solar Income Villages’ at a Cabinet meeting and will start its full-scale implementation. ‘Solar Income Villages’ are community-led projects where solar power plants are installed to achieve energy independence and share the generated profits among community members.
In Gwang-ri, Sejongdaewang-myeon, Yeoju-si, Gyeonggi-do, the ‘Solar Cooperative’ installed solar power plants on village warehouses and parking lots, using the profits to provide free lunches at the village hall and operate a free village bus. The government plans to expand such successful cases nationwide through comprehensive and systematic support at the pan-government level.
A new ‘(tentative) Solar Income Village Promotion Team’ will be established under the Minister of the Interior and Safety, with related ministries, local governments, and relevant agencies working together to support the project comprehensively. Local governments will also have dedicated departments and personnel to actively identify residents’ business needs and address difficulties.
The government will provide integrated support for grid connection, site acquisition, and financing, and will expand financial and tax support to significantly reduce initial investment burdens. The plan is to create over 2,500 Solar Income Villages by 2026, with approximately 550 billion won of national funds to be invested next year.