Yongin city said on the 21st that it was finally selected for Gyeonggi Province's "2026 Gyeonggi RE100 leading project" contest. Starting in 2024, it has been selected for RE100-related project contests for three consecutive years.
The project selected in this contest is "the most perfect start to the energy transition: citizens' sunlight fund park." The core is a converged approach that installs roof-type solar facilities over neighborhood park parking lots and outdoor sports facilities that residents frequently use. Beginning with the neighborhood park in Yangji-eup, Cheoin-gu, Yongin city, solar panels will be installed over the sports facilities and parking lots of four public facilities in the area to build a solar power plant with a capacity of 1,000 kW per hour. The electricity produced will be supplied directly, via power purchase agreements (PPA), to RE100-implementing corporations in the area that need renewable energy.
The total project cost is 2.292 billion won, with 687.6 million won in provincial funding provided due to the selection. The city will provide 458.4 million won, and the remaining 1.146 billion won will be covered by the local community group "Yangji-eup development council."
In addition, Yongin city said that through this project it has built, for the first time nationwide, an innovative governance system that integrates village communities and local financial institutions. The residents' community "Yangji-eup development council," the community-based financial institution "Yangji Credit Union," and corporations with construction technology will join forces. Through this, the city will raise transparency in fund management and design a structure that reliably distributes dividends to residents from the revenue generated by the project. The plan is to establish a sustainable foundation for self-reliance in rural communities through long-term operation for more than 20 years.
A Yongin city official said, "This selection could become a complete model that goes beyond eco-friendly energy production to enable mutual growth among public institutions, citizens, and local finance, while proactively responding to the climate crisis."