Under the new renewable energy quota, buildings larger than 100,000 square meters in total floor area will have to rely on renewable energy for at least 16 percent of their energy consumption, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said on Wednesday. (Image: Seoul Metropolitan Government)
SEOUL, Mar. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — Larger buildings scheduled to be built in Seoul from July will be required to offset energy consumption with renewable energy sources including solar energy.
Under the new renewable energy quota, buildings larger than 100,000 square meters in total floor area will have to rely on renewable energy for at least 16 percent of their energy consumption, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said on Wednesday.
The scheme is part of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s move to revise environmental standards for buildings in the capital.
“To tackle growing air pollution issues involving fine dust and greenhouse gases, and work in tandem with the government’s renewable energy action plan and the global trend towards renewable energy policy, we are expanding the city’s solar power generation capacity,” city officials said.
Seoul’s move falls in line with the government’s efforts to expand solar power generation, which accounted for just 7 percent of all electricity in 2016, to 20 percent by 2030.
Last November, Seoul declared itself the ‘city of the sun’, announcing it will produce 1 gigawatt of solar power by 2022, which is the equivalent of the electricity generated by one nuclear power plant.
As part of the new standards, the installation of solar panels will be mandatory at new buildings with a total floor area greater than 100,000 square meters, and existing structures between 90,000 and 300,000 square meters subject to redevelopment.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
