Nowon-gu, Apartment Solar Mini Power Plant Distribution...The Only Autonomous District in Seoul

The Only Seoul District Maintaining Support Projects with 80% Installation Cost Coverage to Reduce Burden
Seoul's Sole District Supporting Small-Scale Private Power Producers with Generation Difference Subsidies
Over the Past Decade, 15,629 Mini Solar Projects Supported, Guro Leading Carbon Neutrality in the Energy Sector

Nowon-gu, Seoul (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it is the only autonomous district in Seoul to promote the 2024 solar mini power plant distribution and power generation difference support project.

This is to widely distribute solar power generation facilities, a representative renewable energy, to the private sector in order to advance the carbon-neutral era.

Residents who wish to install solar power facilities in houses or buildings located in Nowon-gu can receive 80% of the installation cost supported by the district, and only 20% of the remaining cost is self-funded. Support is provided for up to two modules per household. The support applies to products installed through ‘Solar Terrace,’ selected as the mini solar power distributor this year, and products can be chosen between 435W and 870W generation capacities.

Installing the 435W model requires a self-payment of 180,000 KRW excluding the district subsidy, but since the electricity bill reduction effect reaches 96,000 KRW annually, the cost can be recovered within two years after installation. Additionally, free repairs are supported within five years in case of product malfunction.

Residents who wish to install can apply by phone to the designated company. Information about the products can be found on the Nowon-gu Office website, and the support may close early when the budget is exhausted.

Along with support for veranda-type mini solar power generation facilities, the district also maintains the power generation difference support project, uniquely among Seoul districts. The power generation difference support (FIT) is a policy that encourages the spread of renewable energy by compensating the difference when the transaction price of power produced by power producers falls short of the standard. Solar power producers in Nowon-gu with facility capacity of 100kW or less who meet certain requirements receive 50 KRW per 1kWh, with a maximum support for up to 5 years for a combined capacity of 100kW.

Since 2014, the district has supported 15,629 cases of veranda-type mini solar power over 10 years until 2023, and since 2017, subsidies have been provided for a production volume of 3,926 MWh by 21 power producers. This is an outstanding leading achievement among Seoul’s autonomous districts, and this year, the district plans to accelerate renewable energy distribution by holding briefings targeting newly built apartments and large apartment complexes with low distribution rates.

Meanwhile, the district is also striving to become a leading carbon-neutral city through renewable energy installation and energy efficiency in public facilities built and operated by the district, in addition to residential solar power. To eliminate the resistance that solar power generation facilities spoil the aesthetics of buildings, last year, the district installed building-integrated colored photovoltaic (BIPV) systems and plans to expand this to other public buildings.

The district views effective control of energy use and carbon emissions through buildings in urban areas as an important issue in carbon-neutral policies, and established the ‘Public Building Zero Energy Building Roadmap’ last year, applying it step-by-step. All public buildings newly constructed or renovated by the district will maximize energy efficiency using passive construction methods and will mandate certification of Zero Energy Building (ZEB) grade 4 or higher in the future.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “Veranda solar power facilities reduce household electricity bills while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the construction sector, so the district decided to maintain support,” and added, “We will spare no effort in supporting the private sector and public sector efforts so that the gray forest of apartment blocks can be revived as a green forest saving the Earth through solar energy.”