South Korea

According to Korean government, around 18,000 unlicensed projects up to 1 MW in size are being developed in the area. Restrictions on such projects, which are driving this year’s strong solar growth in the country, are being introduced to reduce their environmental impact.

South Korea’s largest PV project is scheduled for commissioning by next year. The project developer – Korean floating PV specialist Scotra – is also planning a 2.5 MW offshore solar project with the support of the government.

This new development has brought the country’s cumulative installed solar capacity to more than 9.5 GW. Around 91.5% of the newly installed capacity is represented by PV systems below 1 MW in size.

Hyundai has unveiled its new hybrid, the Hyundai Sonata, complete with integrated solar cells. The Sonata’s unveiling joins Toyota and Lightyear in integrating solar PV with EVs.

The huge floating plant is expected to be located on a water surface close to the Saemangeum, an estuarine tidal flat on the coast of the Yellow Sea. Construction on the facility is planned to start in the second half of next year. Around 4.6 trillion won ($3.9 billion) of private funds will be invested in the project.

Under the South Korean government’s new strategy, renewables would cover up to 35% of total power demand by 2040. The government sees the potential to deploy up to 235 GW of solar and wind, but cites a lack of land and relatively low solar radiation as factors that could hinder growth.

The Korean government is planning to introduce new rules for carbon footprint certification, minimum efficiency levels and industrial standards for solar and wind energy. The measures are intended to make the domestic renewable energy industry grow while securing sustainable competitiveness, the administration said.

The micro-grid will convert electricity into hydrogen by using a power-to-gas technology.

The South Korean government has revealed plans to introduce new environmental guidelines and rules on where PV projects can be built, following a public outcry after a landslide smashed into an operational solar array south of the city of Daegu.

Analyst data records 53% annual growth in storage in 2017, rising to 1.9 GW as South Korea climbed to top of the tree in terms of cumulative capacity. Global project pipeline has soared to 10.4 GW.