KDHC Active in Developing
Photovoltaic Systems

Makes joint investment into development of first system designed to convert solar energy into district heating without hot water storage tank

Korea District Heating Corp. (KDHC) is accelerating efforts to strengthen its presence in the new and renewable energy industries in order to brace for the impact of international pacts on climate change.
KDHC is constructing a photovoltaic power plant on Jung Islet in Shinan, South Jeolla Province, the site of the nation's largest salt farm. The Shinan area proves to be the most suitable for the construction of photovoltaic power plants due to low precipitation and large amounts of sunlight.
Ju Jae-gyu, the KDHC official in charge of the project said, "Construction is now about 90 percent complete, and we have focused on laying a strong enough foundation to survive a typhoon with a speed of 40 meters per second."The corporation began construction in February. Upon its completion, the KDHC will have invested 7.3 billion won in building the photovoltaic power plant on a 56,000 sq. meter lot. The plant will have 4,608 solar modules with a capacity of 800 KWp (peak point), equivalent to lighting about 68,000 incandescent electric lamps.
Ju said the photovoltaic system is semi-permanent, and if and when the plant is put into commercial service, it will produce and sell electricity worth a maximum of 50 million won per day during the summer, effectively substituting approximately 156 million won worth of crude oil imports.
In addition, the photovoltaic plant will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1,299 TC (tons of carbon equivalents). The sunlight will also reach the ground to minimize land contamination, while diverse facilities will be installed in consideration of the geographical features of the site to reduce environmental damage, he said.
As of the end of 2006, the value of the domestic photovoltaic power market was estimated at $10 million. Korea has a less than 1 percent share in the global photovoltaic power market, compared to Germany's 44 percent and Japan's 12 percent.
The Shinan area is emerging as a mecca of the domestic photovoltaic power industry as a consortium, led by Dong Yang Engineering & Construction Corp. is building the world's largest photovoltaic power plant on Jeo Islet, near KDHC's, plant with a capacity of 20MW, nearly double that of the photovoltaic system in Barbaria, Germany, the largest existing one. The mammoth project will call for the installation of 110,000 solar modules and the building of a sun-tracking power generation system at a cost of 157.6 billion won to produce 27MWh yearly, supplying electricity to 6,000 households.
KDHC is aggressively participating in photovoltaic systems, combined heat and power using biomass as well as landfill gas projects in an effort to comply with the Renewable Portfolio Standards and Renewable Portfolio Agreement - agreements signed with the government to promote the development of new and renewable energy sources. The government aims to raise the portion of new and renewable energy sources to total energy consumption to 10 percent by 2016.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy held a ceremony to demonstrate the first-ever "system for changing solar energy into district heating"developed through a joint investment between KDHC and the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER).
Dr. Baek Nam-chun of KIER headed the team that developed the system, which changes solar energy into district energy at about 90 degrees Centigrade without a hot water storage tank. The system, which is the nation's largest with a 1,060 square meter solar energy storage panel, was installed on the rooftop of KDHC's Bundang office building. nw

The projected photovoltaic power plant in Jung Islet in Shinan, South Jeolla Province, to be constructed for Korea District Heating Corp. (right photo) Korea District Heating Corp. President and CEO Kim Young-nam