Gwangju Special City Steps Up Development of Sunlight Income Villages

【Financial News Jeonnam-Gwangju = Hwang Tae-jong, Staff Reporter】Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City (Gwangju Special City) is stepping up development of Sunlight Income Villages to boost citizens’ incomes and revitalize the local economy.
 According to Gwangju Special City on the 12th, a Sunlight Income Village is a resident-led project in which residents directly participate in renewable energy projects and share the revenue from power generation. The project contributes to increasing residents’ incomes and improving welfare, while revenue reinvested in local consumption and community projects is expected to help revitalize the local economy and address regional depopulation.
 The government aims to establish at least 3,000 sites by 2030 and plans to select at least 700 this year. After selecting 86 sites through the first call for proposals in August, it selected 436 in the second round.
 Gwangju Special City had the highest number of sites selected nationwide in both rounds: 20 in the first and 105 in the second, for a total of 125.
 Gwangju Special City had established a support system from the outset of the call for proposals to ensure the stable launch of the Sunlight Income Village project, which is being implemented for the first time this year, and to encourage wider participation. First, it formed a joint public-private field support team involving cities and counties and relevant organizations, including the Korea Rural Community Corporation, the Korea Energy Agency and Korea Electric Power Corporation, to prepare for the call for proposals.
 It also supported participation in the call for proposals by providing tailored consulting, together with the Green Energy Institute, to villages struggling to form resident cooperatives and draw up business plans.
 Gwangju Special City plans to strengthen follow-up support to help selected villages implement their projects and generate tangible returns. It will also monitor progress in each village and work with cities, counties and relevant organizations to address challenges on the ground.
 An official from Gwangju Special City said, "As the Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to hold a third call for proposals through the 30th, we are surveying cities and counties to gauge demand. We will actively help villages interested in applying prepare for the call, including by providing consulting, while also working to identify additional villages that may apply in order to broaden participation."

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