The government decided to prioritize installing "balcony solar" for 100,000 apartment households in Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH) rental housing and public official residences, according to reports on the 14th. To install solar panels outside the balcony window frame, residents must obtain consent from other residents, which is not easy in typical apartments. Accordingly, apartments or official residences owned by LH, the state, or local governments—where consent can be obtained in bulk—are being selected first as project targets.
The 37.5 billion won budget for the "balcony solar" project was included in the 26.2 trillion won supplementary budget bill that passed the Cabinet on the 11th. If households pay 20% of the installation cost out of pocket, the government will subsidize the remaining 80%. Of the government subsidies, 40% will be covered by the central government (30% in Seoul) and the rest by local governments. The goal is 100,000 households.
The issue is securing residents' consent. Under the Act on the Management of Multi-Family Housing, to install a "projection" such as a solar module on a multi-family home's balcony or exterior wall, a resident must obtain the management entity's consent. The consent method varies by apartment, including "consent from at least half of residents in the building" or "consent from the management office."
The government believes it will be difficult to meet the target of installing in 100,000 households using this consent process. As a result, a plan is under review to include LH rental housing and official residences at public institutions and national and public universities as key installation targets. A government official said, "Unlike private apartments where ownership is divided by household, LH rental housing has ownership concentrated in LH, making consent easier," adding, "We are drawing up an execution plan that can be carried out quickly within the current system."
The government is also reviewing a plan to recruit installation targets by apartment complex or building. The idea is to supply balcony solar in bulk to apartments that apply with residents' consent obtained as a whole.
The government expects that if households install balcony solar with a 200,000 won out-of-pocket cost, they can save about 10,000 won a month. A Climate Ministry official said, "If you see it as saving 10,000 won a month, you can recoup the out-of-pocket 200,000 won in about a year and a half to two years."
However, some note that balcony solar's power generation efficiency and economic viability are not high. Unless the unit faces due south, electricity generation is limited, and during the summer rainy season, output drops sharply, making it difficult to achieve "10,000 won in monthly savings."
Jung Beom-jin, a professor of nuclear engineering at Kyunghee University, said, "During the Moon Jae-in administration, there were cases where solar panels were indiscriminately installed in areas with low generation efficiency, such as north-facing units or lower floors," adding, "It is not desirable this time either to increase distribution volume first without sufficient review of economic viability and site suitability." Jung said, "It appears to be aimed at expanding renewable energy distribution for energy security in the wake of the Middle East war, but a review is also needed on whether it is appropriate in the long run to expand a generation source (renewables) with a higher expense burden than nuclear power."