Rural type solar power is gone, industrial complex solar power is rising… “The supply and spread of solar power in industrial complexes is accelerating this year!”
While the side effects of ‘rural solar power’, which has been installed by diverting farmland, are being revealed one after another, industrial complex solar power and agricultural solar power have recently emerged as key models for realizing carbon neutrality. In particular, solar power in industrial complexes is receiving greater attention in the industry because it does not have to face problems such as ‘civil complaints, environmental destruction, and grid’ that have been obstacles to the spread of solar power.
Industrial complex solar power rises first in Daegu and Gyeongbuk region!
Daegu Metropolitan City and Gyeongsangbuk-do have begun the expansion of solar power in industrial complexes. Last January, Daegu Metropolitan City held a groundbreaking ceremony for the first solar power generation project at Dae-A Construction Materials Co., Ltd. in the 3rd Industrial Complex, 3rd Gongdan-ro, Buk-gu, and announced the start of the ‘Daegu Smart Industrial Complex Roof-type Solar Power Project’.
On December 12 of last year, the city signed an agreement with LS Electric Co., Ltd., Hanwha Systems Co., Ltd., Hyundai Electric & Energy Systems Co., Ltd., LG Energy Solution Co., Ltd., SRS Co., Ltd., Daebo Information & Communication Co., Ltd., Hanwha Asset Management Co., Ltd., and industrial complex management agencies (7 locations). A business agreement has been signed regarding the ‘Daegu Smart Industrial Complex Rooftop Solar Power Project’.
This is a project to install solar power generation facilities, a new renewable energy source, on the roof of an industrial complex covering 15% of Daegu’s downtown area. In connection with this, the entire 1.16 million ㎡ roof of the old asbestos slate factory, a class 1 carcinogen, will be demolished to improve working conditions for local industries and improve citizens’ health. According to industry insiders, this project started with the idea of Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo. It is said that Mayor Hong toured an aging industrial complex in Daegu and came up with a rooftop solar power project.
Last February, Gyeongbuk Province signed an investment agreement to create a Gyeongbuk-type eco-friendly energy industrial complex with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and Korea Energy Agency, the largest public energy companies in Korea headquartered in Gyeongju. In this project, KHNP will invest up to KRW 4.25 trillion (KRW 1.7 billion/MW) in capital from 2023 to 2028 to produce 2.5GW (1.8 times the capacity of the recently completed Uljin Shin-Hanul Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 (1.4GW)) ) It is Korea’s largest solar power public investment project that installs solar power generation facilities in industrial complexes in Gyeongbuk.
It is expected to not only revitalize the stagnant local economy, but also greatly contribute to strengthening global export competitiveness by actively responding to the realization of Gyeongbuk-style low-carbon policies and ‘RE-100’ for industrial complex business owners. Gyeongbuk Province plans to provide various incentives for regional coexistence, such as installation of worker rest facilities and energy diagnosis, to business owners who participated in the project.
Leading domestic solar energy companies strive to distribute solar power to industrial complexes
Hanwha Q CELLS, the green energy business division of Hanwha Solutions, has been leading the spread of solar power in industrial complexes for several years. A representative example is the ‘Pohang Solar Factory’ project conducted with Korea East-West Power in 2021. The Pohang Solar Factory project is a project that installs solar power generation facilities by leasing factory roofs and unused land in industrial complexes in the Pohang area.
The project scale is approximately KRW 96 billion and the goal is to install a solar power plant with a total capacity of 60 MW. This business generates profits through the sale of renewable energy supply certificates, and participating companies rent out idle land within the factory to make profits. In addition, Hanwha Q CELLS is increasing its share of the industrial complex solar power market to reduce carbon emissions of companies and contribute to the realization of RE100.
Paru, a global renewable energy company, is also working to expand renewable energy in industrial complexes. In fact, Paru built a solar power plant with a total capacity of 9.8 MW and worth 11.5 billion won on the roof of the Korea Carbon Factory last year. In addition, Paru also provides an AI solar tracker, a solution that can be installed in idle sites such as parking lots or factories.
The AI solar tracker consists of one central support. Because of this, the lower part can be used as a parking space while also generating solar power, which can achieve the effect of ‘killing two birds with one stone.’ Paru’s AI solar tracker uses a high-sensitivity optical sensor to track the position of the sun in real time, maintaining the optimal solar angle to maximize the power generation of solar modules. It is known that the power generation efficiency is more than 30% higher than that of a general stationary type.
Experts say, “This year will be the first year of expansion of solar power in industrial complexes!” “There is an urgent need to supplement and revitalize policies,” one voice said.
There are suggestions that related policies need to be supplemented in order for solar power in industrial complexes to be distributed nationwide. Domestic solar power experts select ‘industrial complex solar power’ as the optimal means to respond to global carbon reduction and carbon neutrality goals. At the same time, he argued that simplification of licensing procedures should take precedence to promote supply.
Woo-sik Jeong, Vice President of the Korea Photovoltaic Industry Association, said at the National Assembly Debate on the Status and Tasks for Revitalizing Solar Power in Industrial Complexes held at the National Assembly Hall on the 28th, “Solar power in industrial complexes is free from civil complaints, environmental destruction, and system problems, and RE100·ESG corporate competitiveness is strengthened and speedy. He claimed, “It is especially effective in expanding the supply of renewable energy, improving local energy independence, reducing greenhouse gases, and revitalizing the local economy.”
Vice Chairman Chung suggested mandatory installation of solar power when new construction or major repairs to existing buildings were made and revision of the special law aimed at simplifying the licensing process as measures to revitalize the building. Vice Chairman Chung said, “The European Union (EU) has mandated the installation of solar power for all new public and commercial buildings with a total floor area of 250 m2 or more by 2026 and 2027, respectively.” “We need to revitalize industrial complex solar power by implementing the ‘mandatory recycling’ system,” he said.
The discussion on this day was chaired by Vice Chairman Jeong Woo-sik, △ Seok-gyu Yoon, CEO of Isolar Energy △ Chae-ho Song, CEO of Korea Solar System △ Min-geun Ha, head of the low-carbon industrial complex team at the industrial complex promotion office of the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation △ Yong-hyun Kim, head of the AI Energy Research Center at the Korea Photonics Technology Institute △ Geum-yong Kwon, head of the AI Energy Research Center at the Korea Photonics Institute △ Daegu Metropolitan City Energy Head of the Industry Department △Eunseong Lim, Secretary of the Renewable Energy Industry Department of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy attended.
People Power Party lawmaker Lee In-seon (Daegu Suseong-eul), who hosted the event, said, “If solar power is distributed to industrial complexes, the effect of reducing greenhouse gases will be very significant,” and “As a member of the National Assembly’s Industry and Energy Committee and a special committee member on climate crisis, I actively share the opinions derived from this debate.” “We will review it and reflect it in legislative activities,” he said.
Lee Yong-bin, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Gwangju Gwangsan-gu Gap), said, “Expanding solar power generation in industrial complexes is one of the realistic alternatives that can be implemented without waiting for the long-term challenges and major issues of existing solar power generation.” He added, “The industrial complex solar power supply project in the beginning stage is “I hope that the debate will be a place to explore effective policy measures so that it can be implemented stably,” he said.
While a national consensus is being formed on industrial complex solar power, the ‘2023 Solar Power Market Insight (PVMI)’, a global solar power conference where you can check the latest information and issues related to the solar power industry, will be held from April 12th to 13th. It will be held at Daegu EXCO until. This conference, which will be held under the theme of the future of solar power generation for RE100 implementation, is open for pre-registration until the 5th of next month.