Jeju farmers replacing tangerine trees with solar panels for stability and profit

Korea's southern island of Jeju is about to start a new green project.
According to our ... it involves installing solar energy generating facilities on unused farmland.
This was once a tangerine orchard on Jeju Island, but it is now home to a 100-kilowatt solar power unit.
That's because the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province has launched a scheme to turn tangerine farms into land designated for generating renewable energy.


"This is a kind of 'sunray pension' for Jeju residents, which will hopefully serve as a social security policy for a stable future. And it offers 20 years of guaranteed income."

Under the plan, the solar energy systems are installed for a minimum of 20 years... and the farmers can make a profit by selling the electricity.
The government estimates the farmers can make about three dollars and 60 cents per square meter of land, or more than three times what they make from growing tangerines.
Once a farmer has their land registered for solar power production, the contractors cover all the necessary expenses for construction and registration of the solar unit -- an investment of over 180-thousand U.S. dollars.
New solar farms are expected to begin operations as early as January 2017, and the Jeju government will continue to recruit more farmers every year.
Park Se-young, Arirang News.

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