Yongin Special City Selected as 'Gyeonggi RE100 Pioneer Project' for Third Consecutive Year

[Suwon Ilbo=Ki-ho Choi, Reporter] Yongin Special City was selected in the final round of the Gyeonggi Province-sponsored '2026 Gyeonggi RE100 Pioneer Project' public recruitment and will receive 687.6 million won in provincial funding, the city announced on the 21st.

The city achieved the honor of being selected for the 'Gyeonggi RE100 Pioneer Project' public recruitment for three consecutive years, following the 2024 project 'virtual net metering convergence project for citizen-led solar power plant construction and RE100 achievement' and the 2025 project 'RE100 achievement through landscape-improving renewable energy and semiconductor ecosystem support project.'

The 'Most Perfect Start of Energy Transition Citizen Solar Fund Park' selected in this recruitment is a 'public, citizen, and finance convergence-type energy transition project' that will establish a 1,000㎾-scale solar power plant by installing solar panels on the roofs of sports facilities and parking lots at four public facilities in the region, including Yangji-eup neighborhood park in Cheoin-gu. The generated electricity will be directly supplied (PPA·power purchase agreement) to RE100-compliant companies in the region that require renewable energy supply.

The project cost is 2.292 billion won, and with selection through the public recruitment, the city will receive 687.6 million won in provincial funding. The city will support 458.4 million won, while the remaining 1.146 billion won will be borne by the regional community 'Yangji-eup Development Council.'

The key strategy of this project is the adoption of a convergence method that utilizes public assets three-dimensionally, moving away from flat-surface solar installation methods by installing roof-type solar equipment above parking lots and outdoor sports facilities that residents frequently use in neighborhood parks.

The city expects to produce clean energy in idle urban spaces while providing a 'climate-safe shade shelter' that protects citizens from extreme heat and heavy rain caused by climate change.

The 'Most Perfect Start of Energy Transition Citizen Solar Fund Park' project has pioneered the nation's first governance innovation system that combines village communities and regional financial institutions to overcome the limitation of small-scale projects centered on energy cooperatives.

The city joins forces with the resident community 'Yangji-eup Development Council,' the community-focused financial institution 'Yangji Credit Cooperative,' and Geochang Co., Ltd., which possesses construction technology.

Through collaboration, the city will increase transparency in fund management and design a structure that stably distributes profits generated from the project to residents, establishing a sustainable self-reliant foundation for rural communities through long-term operation of over 20 years.

Yongin City, the managing agency, supports project sites and budgets and handles supervision and settlement tasks during project operations. The 'Yangji-eup Development Council,' composed of citizens, manages power generation projects overall and invests village development funds.

Yangji Credit Cooperative is responsible for stable fund management, including profit management and dividend distribution, while Geochang Co., Ltd. handles equipment procurement, construction, and maintenance of the power plant.

The committee members who reviewed the public recruitment project highly evaluated the establishment of architectural complex-type solar power generation facilities above public sports facilities to increase space utilization and the creation of an environment where residents can directly experience the benefits of renewable energy in their daily lives.

Additionally, they expected the project to serve as a design diversification model for expanding public sports facilities and provide insights for expansion of other sports facilities within Gyeonggi Province.