돌아온 아파트 베란다 태양광..이번엔 성공할까?

◀ Anchor ▶ As the burden of electricity bills grows, 'mini solar' generators installed on apartment balconies are once again drawing attention. The project had effectively been suspended in the past due to issues such as companies that squandered subsidies and safety concerns. However, as the energy crisis has recently intensified, the government has decided to resume distribution by investing a large budget, but expectations and concerns are mixed. Reporter Heo Ji-hee covered the story. ◀ Report ▶ A rectangular mini solar panel is installed on the balcony railing of an apartment. This household set up the equipment themselves three years ago, spending 600,000 won. Currently, they are seeing an average monthly savings of about 10,000 won on their electricity bill. ◀ INT ▶ Park Soon-kyu / Household with Mini Solar Panels "It's about 10,000 won a month? Usually, our bill comes out to around 50,000 won, but if we hit the progressive rate, it suddenly jumps to the 100,000 won range, so I installed it because of that." However, there is a palpable atmosphere of avoidance regarding mini solar panels in the field. This is because the extent of electricity savings varies significantly depending on the location of the balcony, and safety management issues are being raised, such as panels falling due to strong winds or rainwater intrusion. There are also quite a few apartment complexes that oppose the installation itself due to concerns about damage to the exterior of the building and safety accidents. ◀ SYNC ▶ Solar Panel Installer (Voice altered) "If you hang it on a weak spot on the balcony and it falls, causing personal injury or damaging the car, would you be able to handle that?" The mini solar power project was enthusiastically promoted during the past Moon Jae-in administration, and it was distributed to up to 70,000 households. However, subsidy payments were largely suspended due to a surge in so-called "hit-and-run" businesses that collected subsidies and then went out of business, compounded by controversies over poor follow-up management. ◀ SYNC ▶ Local Government Official (Voice altered): "They tried it once (in 2019), but suspended it due to a lack of resident acceptance." Amidst this, the government has set out to restart the project by allocating a large-scale supplementary budget in response to the recent energy crisis. The plan is to provide 37 billion won this year to 100,000 households and encourage participation by lowering the self-contribution fee to a maximum of 200,000 won. Countermeasures are being established to address the safety and follow-up management issues that were pointed out in the past. The government plans to issue public notices in the first half of the year and begin full-scale installation starting in the second half. As government support picks up speed again, it appears that improvements in power generation efficiency, thorough post-construction management, and ensuring meticulous construction safety must be carried out in parallel. This is Heo Ji-hee from MBC News.