Chungnam Province announced on the 11th that out of 64 villages across 14 cities and counties that applied for the 2nd public contest of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s “Sunshine Income Village” project, 47 villages (73.4%) were selected.

Nationwide, 436 out of 608 applying villages were selected, and Chungnam's selection rate is higher than the national average of 71.7%.

Previously, in the 1st public contest held in May, 4 villages in the province were conditionally selected, laying the groundwork for resident-led renewable energy projects.

The Sunshine Income Village project involves residents forming cooperatives or similar groups to install and operate solar power generation facilities on idle village land or public facilities, and returning the generated revenue to the residents and the village community.

The generation revenue can be utilized not only for returning income to residents but also for village welfare and community projects, which is expected to ease the economic burden on residents and establish a foundation for the village to independently pursue necessary projects.

Furthermore, through the process of residents directly participating in the power generation business and sharing profits together, it is expected to vitalize cooperation and community activities among residents and enhance public acceptance of renewable energy.

A provincial official stated, "The Sunshine Income Village project is meaningful in that, amid weakened income foundations in rural areas due to aging and population decline, residents can utilize local resources to create new shared income. Now that 47 villages have been selected in this 2nd public contest, we will establish resident-participatory renewable energy projects as a new income model for rural areas."

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