The government on the 19th unveiled a plan to allow floating solar power facilities inside water source protection zones. The facilities would be installed and operated directly by water surface managers — local governments, Korea Water Resources Corporation and Korea Rural Community Corporation — with residents taking part in the power generation business. The government's idea is to share generation revenue with residents and raise incomes in areas where property rights have long been restricted. It amounts to unlocking water source protection zones, where development has been tightly curbed to prevent water pollution. That could open the door to floating solar even on Lake Paldang, the main drinking water source for 26 million people in the greater Seoul area.
It cannot be stated with certainty that floating solar pollutes water or damages ecosystems. Some studies have suggested it may reduce algal blooms by blocking sunlight. But partial survey results alone cannot guarantee the safety of every drinking water source. The long-term effects by installation scale and by the characteristics of each body of water must be verified, and residents' trust must be secured. The floating solar project at Yongdam Dam in Jinan, Jeonbuk State, was revived last year but was halted by resident opposition, and Korea Water Resources Corporation returned its power generation license. Pollution concerns were not resolved even at a drinking water source that had not been designated a protection zone. Consent from local residents who share generation revenue is not enough. Safety verification results must be disclosed transparently to downstream residents who use the drinking water source, and their views must be gathered.
Expanding renewable energy for carbon neutrality and future power supply is necessary. But if capacity is added without a grid plan, higher incomes for residents will also come to nothing. Of the 104 transmission and substation construction projects included in the 7th through 10th Basic Plans for Long-term Electricity Supply and Demand, 68 were either completed past their target dates or remain under construction after missing their deadlines. The agrivoltaic project in Wolpyeong village, Yeonggwang County, Jeonnam, has completed a 1-megawatt facility but has been unable to operate for more than a year because it is not connected to the grid. To expand floating solar beyond existing programs that share solar revenue with residents, the grid capacity and connection schedule in each region must be examined first. Clear siting and scale standards are needed to prevent haphazard development, and safety measures must be in place so that drinking water sources are not contaminated even if facilities are damaged or swept away by typhoons or heavy rain. Expanding renewable energy and protecting the property rights of residents in water source protection zones both matter, but there can be no compromise whatsoever on the safety of citizens' drinking water.