Lee Jaemyung’s "Sunlight Income Village" Accelerates: 500 to Be Established in Jeonnam Alone

Jeonnam Province Holds Video Conference with 22 Cities and Counties on the 24th
Sharing Government Policy Direction; Customized On-site Support Planned
First and Second Demand Surveys to Achieve 2030 Target
President Lee Highlights "Shinan County" and Raises Expectations for Jeonnam-Style Model Expansion

Jeonnam Province held a video conference with 22 cities and counties on the 24th to share the government's policy direction for the creation of Sunlight Income Villages. Provided by Jeonnam Province

The "Sunlight Income Village" project, regarded as one of President Lee Jaemyung's flagship energy welfare policies, has entered a full-scale expansion phase. The government has set a target of establishing 2,500 such villages nationwide by 2030, and Jeollanam-do has announced plans to proactively build 500 of them in the province.

On the 24th, Jeonnam Province held a video conference with 22 cities and counties to share the government's policy direction for creating Sunlight Income Villages and to discuss strategies for responding to the project application process scheduled for early next year.

This meeting served as a follow-up to the government's announcement on the 16th of the "Plan for Nationwide Expansion of Sunlight Income Villages."

Jeonnam Province, together with the Green Energy Research Institute, has formed an on-site support team led by the Director of Energy Policy. This team will provide close support throughout the entire process, from identifying candidate sites in each city and county, to resident briefings and consulting, as well as application and selection.

To this end, Jeonnam Province conducted a first round of demand surveys among the 22 cities and counties, identifying about 150 hopeful villages. After conducting a second additional demand survey, the province plans to establish a total of around 500 villages by 2030.

Starting in January next year, Jeonnam Province will launch customized on-site consulting for the selected villages, including identifying suitable sites and analyzing project feasibility. Since the government application process is scheduled for February next year, the province's strategy is to strengthen preparations in advance to ensure that as many villages as possible are selected.

Although the entire province has been designated as a grid management substation area, making grid connection challenging, Jeonnam Province plans to utilize the proposed amendment to the Electricity Business Act, which would allow priority grid access for resident-participatory solar power generation for public and public-interest purposes. The province also aims to gradually resolve grid issues by linking with energy storage systems (ESS).

In addition, while up to 85% of the investment in solar facilities can be financed through long-term, low-interest government loans, village community-led cooperatives face challenges in securing collateral, which limits access to loans. Therefore, Jeonnam Province plans to continue recommending that the government ease collateral requirements for such loans.

Jeong Hyeongu, Director of the Energy Industry Bureau of Jeonnam Province, stated, "The Sunlight Income Village is a representative region-led project in which residents take the initiative and directly participate in the expansion of renewable energy. By utilizing idle resources centered on village communities, we will work to simultaneously increase resident income and expand renewable energy, strengthening collaboration among the province, cities and counties, and relevant organizations."

Meanwhile, President Lee Jaemyung, during a Cabinet meeting held in Sejong City on the 16th, directly mentioned Shinan County in Jeonnam Province as a model case while discussing the nationwide expansion plan for Sunlight Income Villages, raising expectations for the nationwide spread of the Jeonnam-style model.