Solar Power Project

[Anchor Lead]

Korea’s electricity provider has started a pilot project to set up independent solar power generators in remote villages that currently don’t have reliable access to electricity. Let’s take a look.

[Pkg]

A long ride through a winding road takes visitors to a small rural village in the mountains. Comprised of only three households, the village has never had electricity in the 40 years since it was formed. The reason was that it was realistically impossible to erect 60 utility poles on the rough mountainous road. But now the residents can freely use electricity. KEPCO has set up a small solar power generator at each home free of charge. KEPCO will install independent solar power generators in areas where it's difficult to put up utility poles in order to supply electricity to local residents. Each power-generating unit includes a 3-kilowatt solar power generator, enough for a day's use, as well as a large-capacity power storage device and a 6-kilowatt emergency generator.

[Soundbite] Song Gwan-sik(Dir., Gangwon Regional HQ, KEPCO) : "A power storage device was also attached, so people can use stored solar power on rainy days or at night."

It costs only one-fourth the expense of erecting utility poles and minimizes environmental damage. KEPCO plans to expand the independent solar power generator project to other remote parts of the country.