[집중취재M] Solar construction’new record’… Stop if you build a lot?

◀ Anchor ▶

As the green new deal promoted by the government is in full swing, solar power generation, the core of renewable energy, is rapidly increasing.

Solar power surged last year, the largest ever, and is expected to set a new record this year.

Two reporters, Minwook Kim and Mihee Kim, focused on whether solar power could help Korea escape from carbon poisoning.

◀ Minwook Kim/Reporter ▶

Anjwa-do, Sinan-gun, Jeollanam-do, which can only be reached by crossing four bridges that cross the sea.

A large solar power plant has been built on a large reclaimed area west of the island.

Over 240,000 solar modules have been installed, and the power generation capacity reaches 96 megawatts.

It is a large power plant within five fingers in Korea.

The power plant, which began operation last month, can generate electricity for 40,000 households in a year.

It is still big, but it is expected to reach 300 megawatts by more than three times in the future.

Residents who invest in solar power plants will also earn money from March.

We receive up to 400,000 won per month.

[정상권/안좌 스마트팜앤솔라시티 현장소장]

“About 4 billion won is generated every year. It will be a way that monthly payments ranging from 140,000 won to 420,000 won evenly to the residents of Anjwa.”

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If you go north about 60km from Andwado, you will find Baeksu-eup, Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do.

A large-scale solar power plant was put into operation in November.

It is the nation’s largest majesty at this point.

The Yeonggwang solar power plant was built on a closed salt farm site.

A salt field of over 300,000 pyeong has been transformed into a power plant that produces 98 megawatts of electricity.

Solar power plants are increasing rapidly.

In the last year alone, 53,000 solar power plants were installed.

The capacity of the power generation facility is 4,100 megawatts and the capacity of 4 thermal power plants.

This is the largest increase in history, and this year, more solar power plants will be installed (4,500 megawatts), which is expected to break a new record.

To build so many solar power plants, you need a lot of land.

On the southwest coast, reclaimed lands and waste salt farms are mainly used, but large-scale power plants are built on lakes or reservoirs inland.

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It takes about 10 minutes by boat from the Chungjuho dock.

A solar module floating on the surface of the water catches your eye.

Floating solar power plant.

This power plant installed on Lake Chungju is the size of three soccer fields.

At the end of this year, the largest floating solar power plant in Korea is planned to be built at Hapcheon Dam in Gyeongnam.

[전경식/한국수자원공사 충주권지사 발전부장]

“With a scale of about 14 times larger than Lake Chungju, a resident-participating project at Hapcheon Dam in Gyeongnam is in progress with the goal of completion by the end of this year.”

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The expansion of solar power is pointed out as one of the key points in the government’s recently declared carbon neutral plan for 2050.

The government plans to reduce the proportion of coal power generation, which is currently 28.1%, to 15% by 2034, and to increase renewable energy such as solar and wind power to 40%.

Among the new and renewable energy, solar power is the largest.

The government says that solar power can create not only the environment, but also new export industries and jobs.

For that reason, experts hold that the domestic solar power generation technology is the world’s best.

[조상민/에너지경제연구원 박사]

“Our country is the world’s second-largest producer of cell modules. For this reason, Korean companies take the No. 1 market share in the solar market of mainly developed countries such as the United States, Germany and Japan.”

[김창섭/한국에너지공단 이사장]

“In that respect, it can be seen that our country has the capability to be competitive and industrialized.”

The price of solar power is falling rapidly.

In the calculation of the total cost, taking into account installation costs, environmental costs, and disposal costs during the operation of the power plant, it is expected that solar power will soon become cheaper than coal-fired power.

[조상민/에너지경제연구원 박사]

“It has dropped by more than 30% over five years. Korea is also predicting that the cost of solar power generation will be cheaper than coal by 2024.”

Now, can we just build a lot of solar power plants?

What is the conflict and controversy over the solar power plant, and how to overcome it, followed by reporter Mihee Kim.

◀ Mihee Kim/Reporter ▶

A 6 megawatt solar power plant built in Gangneung, Gangwon-do in 2019.

It is a large power plant that can supply electricity to about 6,800 households in one year.

However, in the past year and three months, it has been shut down.

This is because there was no transmission and distribution network to send the electricity produced here.

The transmission and distribution network must be installed by KEPCO, but the power plant claims that KEPCO did not install it in time and suffered great damage.

Eventually, the power supply was delayed, and the customer was notified of the termination of the contract and lost 1.7 billion won.

[신동진/태양광 발전업체 대표]

“In fact, electricity is being generated for a year, but we can’t use it and it’s like flying into the air.”

Even if solar power plants are built, more and more facilities cannot generate electricity.

Of the 88,000 solar power plants that have requested the installation of the transmission and distribution network over the past five years, 32,000 are still waiting for installation.

The transmission and distribution network facilities are not able to keep up with the rapidly increasing solar power plant nationwide.

[박하영/변호사(재생에너지 전문)]

“In the case of Jeonnam or Jeonbuk, there are people who wait for more than a year to connect. It lasts more than two years. At least.”

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The conflict among residents over solar power installation is still ongoing.

A village in Cheorwon where a solar power plant was built four years ago.

Whenever heavy rain or heavy snow falls, residents look at the power plant with anxiety.

[임명호/태양광 발전소 인근 주민]

“When it rains, I go up in the morning and look around. Even in the same (heavy snowfall) case like today, take it away. Many residents have seen it, and now many regret it.”

There are 12,000 solar power plants in the nationwide, and 27% of the total solar power facilities.

The mountain solar power plant cut down 2.32 million trees over the past three years, causing controversy about environmental destruction.

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Residents’ conflict arises over not only mountain regions, but also over water solar and reclaimed land.

There are voices saying that it makes solar installation too easy, while others are complaining the opposite that the authorities’ permit standards are too strict.

[강영진/한국갈등해결연구원장]

“The key, in my view, is two things. First, resident participation, and or promoting renewable energy projects led by residents. Second, profit sharing.”

Experts are paying attention to the case of Shinan-gun.

This is because it was the first in the country to create an ordinance to share the profits from solar power development with residents.

The perception of residents has also changed significantly.

[김정대/안좌도 신재생에너지 주민·군협동조합장]

“Because I give a certain amount of money to the residents every month, I can also pay for electricity or phone bills for the elderly and everyone.”

It is time to go over controversy and conflict and face each other so that solar power can become the’key’ of’energy conversion’.

This is Mihee Kim from MBC News.

(Video coverage: Lee Jun-ha, Kim Woo-ram, Kang Jae-hoon / Video editing: Yang Hong-seok, Jo A-ra)

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