Chuncheon’s Sinmae 1-ri, Seosang 2-ri and Anbo 2-ri selected in second Sunlight Income Village call

【Financial News | Chuncheon = Kim Ki-seop】Three villages in Seo-myeon, Chuncheon, are embarking on a project to form resident cooperatives, build solar power plants with a capacity of 1 MW each, and share the proceeds with their village communities.
According to Chuncheon City on the 12th, Sinmae 1-ri, Seosang 2-ri and Anbo 2-ri in Seo-myeon, which applied for the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s second Sunlight Income Village call for applications this year, were all conditionally selected. Including Ohtan 2-ri in Sabuk-myeon, which was conditionally selected in the first round, the number of Sunlight Income Villages in Chuncheon has grown to four.
A total of 608 villages nationwide applied in the second round, and 436 were selected. In Gangwon Province, 42 of the 45 applicant villages were selected. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety selected 523 villages nationwide across the first and second rounds combined. Final results for the third round, which is currently underway, are scheduled to be announced at the end of December.
The three selected villages will pursue power-generation projects of approximately 1 MW each through Sunlight Income Village cooperatives established by residents. Sinmae 1-ri and Anbo 2-ri plan to build ground-mounted solar power plants, with panels installed on land, while Seosang 2-ri plans a floating solar power plant, with equipment installed on the water. After addressing outstanding matters, including agreements on the use of project sites, each village will receive confirmation of its final selection and proceed with subsequent steps, such as obtaining a power-generation permit.
Sunlight Income Village is a resident-led renewable energy project in which residents take part directly in solar power generation through cooperatives, with the proceeds returned to residents and village communities. Each village cooperative sets out in its own bylaws how the power-generation revenue will be used and distributed. The city expects this structure to help revitalize village communities and promote energy self-sufficiency.
Ohtan 2-ri, selected earlier, decided at a residents’ general meeting whether to proceed with the project and where to locate it, and has been preparing the project through the Daechunamugol Energy Cooperative. It is currently pursuing the construction of a 998.46-kW ground-mounted solar power facility and a 3-MW energy storage system.
The government plans to provide financial support for up to 85% of the cost of installing solar power facilities and work with relevant agencies and local governments to address difficulties with permits, securing sites and grid connections.
A city official said, “Just as the residents of Ohtan 2-ri chose their site themselves at a general meeting, the residents of the three villages in Seo-myeon achieved this by forming cooperatives on their own. We will carefully manage site-use consultations and permitting so the ground-mounted and floating solar power plants can be built without delays, and expand renewable energy models that ensure village revenues truly make their way back to residents.”

[email protected] Kim Ki-seop Reporter