Incheon, South Korea — Incheon is set to host South Korea's largest "Sunshine Income Village" in Ganghwa-gun, establishing a groundbreaking model for resident-participatory renewable energy and regional revitalization.

The city announced on October 7 that Giljeong-ri Village in Yangdo-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, has been selected as the final site for the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s "Sunshine Income Village" public contest project.

Under the winning proposal, the Giljeong Sunshine Income Village Cooperative plans to construct and operate a 2-megawatt (MW) floating photovoltaic power plant on the local reservoir—marking the largest scale of its kind nationwide.

A Resident-Centric Renewable Energy Model

The Sunshine Income Village initiative is a community-driven renewable energy project where resident-established cooperatives build solar power plants on public facilities or village land. The generated revenues are then distributed directly to residents as dividends, funded into community welfare programs, and used to improve local living conditions.

The Giljeong-ri project will be carried out through a collaborative financing model. Local residents and the Ganghwa Nambu Agricultural Cooperative will jointly invest in the cooperative. The project has secured a lease for approximately 20,000 square meters of Giljeong Reservoir, owned by the Korea Rural Community Corporation, to install the floating solar infrastructure.

To ensure the village's success in the public contest, Incheon City operated an "Incheon Public-Private Joint On-Site Support Team" starting in May. This task force—comprising Ganghwa-gun, the Seoul Metropolitan Air Environment Agency, the Korea Energy Agency, the Korea Rural Community Corporation, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), and the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation—provided close administrative support, including resident briefings, consulting, education, and assistance with cooperative establishment.

Fostering Population Growth and Stable Incomes

City officials emphasized that this project is deeply significant as it establishes a new income foundation for population-declining regions and lays the groundwork for realizing a localized "sunshine pension."

By returning power generation profits to residents via local currency dividends and joint welfare funds, the project is expected to improve local residential conditions and serve as a catalyst for attracting new population inflows.

Moving forward, Incheon City plans to actively support subsequent administrative procedures, including permitting, land use agreements, and financial arrangements, while actively exploring additional target areas for future expansion.

"This achievement is the fruit of close cooperation among local residents, regional financial institutions, and local government," said Lee Yong-bae, Head of Incheon’s New and Renewable Energy Division. "We will spare no administrative effort to ensure that the Sunshine Income Village becomes a stable source of income for residents and leads to sustainable development and harmony within the local community."

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]