Seoul City said Monday that it is considering to expand subsidies for households wishing to install solar panels at home, as part of its effort to fight greenhouse gas emissions and shift to greener energy sources.
 
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said in a recent interview with a local paper that he will declare Seoul as a city of solar energy in 2018, in line with the central government‘s push to switch to renewable energy sources. Park said he is envisioning a city that is similar to a southwestern city of Freiburg in Germany, which is known as the greenest city in the world with eco-housing and car-free streets.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s green energy division told The Korea Herald that it is currently studying a budget expansion for 2018 to financially support more households to install solar panels at their houses.
 
As of June, 34,000 households installed solar panels at their houses, less than 1 percent of a total of 3.6 million households in Seoul. Seoul City officials attributed such a number to a lack of subsidy to promote use of solar power. 

Currently, the city government is funding 415,000 won ($363) for installing one 1.6 meter wide and 0.9 meter tall solar power panel at home. The resident pays the rest of 200,000 won, or can get additional subsidies from the district office. The panel can be attached to the veranda to generate up to 30 kWh of electricity per month, enough to run a refrigerator. 

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)