President Moon Jae-in (L) visits a floating solar farm in Gunsan on Oct. 30, 2018, after announcing his renewable energy vision. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s cumulative solar power capacity has more than quadrupled since President Moon Jae-in took office in 2017, a lawmaker said Wednesday.
According to the data that Rep. Lee Joo-hwan of the main opposition People Power Party received from the National Assembly Budget Office and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the nation’s cumulative solar power capacity shot up to 18,158 megawatts (MW) in September, about a four-fold increase from 4,502 MW in 2016.
The newly installed solar power capacity totaled 13,980 MW during the period from 2017 to September this year. This figure is about three times higher than 4,489 MW for the period from 2007 to 2016.
Along with the increase in solar power capacity, the amount of waste panels is also on the rise. The amount of waste panels rose to 279.4 tons last year from 17.6 tons in 2018 and 245.6 tons in 2019.
The Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade predicted that the amount waste panels generated nationwide would rise to 1,868 tons in 2030 and 85,220 tons in 2040.
The Korea Environment Institute forecasted that the country would see the amount of waste panels rise to 20,935 tons in 2030 and 112,564 tons in 2040.
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
