Electricity by the People, for the People, and of the People: A Solar Power Coop in Gwangju Shows the Way

By Chung Hyunhwa ||

The price of oil has gone up with shocking quickness due to the U.S.–Iran war, and the world is under the pressure of uncertainty and inflation. There is usually something positive in anything bad, I try to believe, and what is positive about the Strait of Hormuz blockade by Iran is that it forces us to think about energy sources other than petroleum and natural gas, which need to decline anyway. Alternative plastic is also receiving more attention because of the supply shortage. More people seem interested in purchasing electric cars. People are talking more about solar panels and heat-pumps.

At the moment, in the public sector, private auto driving days are restricted to save energy. Since Korea’s economy heavily depends on imports, it shows how critical this situation is. The war is calling for a “transition.” Fortunately, the Korean government recently announced a comprehensive plan of rapid energy transitioning. It includes adding 100GW of renewable energy by 2030 and increasing electric and hydrogen vehicles to 40% of newly registered vehicles by 2035 or earlier. Considering all of this, it is quite timely to introduce a group of Gwangju citizens who foresaw the need and acted to achieve energy transitioning and independence far before the current crisis. This group is the Bitgoeul (빛고을, a reference to Gwangju) Citizens’ Solar Generation Social Coop.

The coop was founded in 2020 by five energy committee members in one corner of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Green Union, which is a group of citizens who truly care about the environment. Initially, they meant to start a “virtual power plant” project, which was supposed to improve the efficiency of the power supply by managing various small-scale power generation facilities. However, they found that it was too early at that time because of systemic unreadiness, so they turned their direction toward building actual small-scale solar power plants first. They searched for possible locations, and the first solar power plant they installed was on the rooftop of an apartment complex in Nongseong-dong, with a power generation capability was 274kW. They obtained funding from Gwangju citizens and also got financial support from the city, completing construction in 2021 as planned.

Since then, the coop has built 11 power plants, using dead spaces such as rooftops and parking lots, mostly owned by public entities. The generation capacity of the power plants they have built so far totals about 3.7MW. One nuclear reactor generates about 1GW or 1,000MW. They may not be comparable in scale, but what is important is that the coop has shown that we can choose to supply genuinely green energy that does not leave any toxic or dangerous waste by utilizing unused and neglected spaces. Compared to building a nuclear power plant, it takes far less time, too.

“The generation capacity of the power plants they have built so far totals about 3.7MW.”

At the beginning of 2026, I finally had a chance to participate in their fundraising for another solar power plant. It was an opportunity I had long awaited. I have always wished to have my own solar energy generation system to cover my own power consumption needs ever since I became aware of the carbon net-zero goal. When I heard the news about the fundraising, I realized that this was another way of contributing to green energy production. Wiring money was a lot easier than installing solar panels on my rooftop. Considering that 70 percent of residents live in apartment complexes in Korea and cannot install solar panels as they may wish, participating through such fundraisers is a simple solution.

Technically speaking, the coop borrows money from its supporters to build the power plants, and they can get their money back with modest interest after the contracted period. The coop, using part of the profit from the power plants, acts as an educational body for the people to enlighten and empower them so that they can lead the energy transition initiative in their area. The coop also speaks through media as an opinion leader and gets involved in various community solidarity activities.

The city government, which plays a role in these projects by supporting part of the needed fund, earns RECs (renewable energy certificates) from generating solar energy. The RECs are sold on the spot market to become city income, creating a quite sustainable cycle. In 2026, the city set a budget of over 10 billion won to pursue “energy decentralization.” This budget will be used for supporting various energy transitioning projects. While the citizens’ solar power plant projects will continue, there is a plan for supporting residential home solar panel installation as well. Also, the city is running 15 energy transitioning neighborhood centers that educate the citizens about the climate crisis and help them plan and carry out energy transitioning in their own locales.

Ironically, this Middle East war triggered the general public’s thoughts on how to reduce fossil energy use and go forward toward more sustainable lifestyles (although it is quite regrettable that such massive carbon emissions are being made during the war from the destruction caused by bombing and fires). People seem to start looking for true solutions only when faced with no alternative options. In a democracy, it seems to take longer to reach the goal of net-zero carbon, while things need to change rapidly. That is why Bitgoeul Solar Coop’s unceasing, self-motivated actions that are involving more and more citizens are so valuable. They are certainly providing a good example of a democratic, bottom-up solution rather than having to make requests and just wait.

Cover Photo by GN with Google NotebookLM.