"In Guyang-ri, a farming village of 70 households about 90 minutes south-east of Seoul, people gather for communal free lunches six days a week. The meals are funded by the villageās one-megawatt solar installation, which generates roughly 10m won ($6,800) in net profit each month.
āResidents eat lunch together every day, so we see each otherās faces, talk together,ā says Jeon Joo-young, the village chief. āBonds and solidarity between residents become much stronger. Life becomes more enjoyable.ā
The shift has been dramatic. Before the solar project launched in 2022, the village of about 130 people had no restaurant, no easy way to move around, and little communal infrastructure. Now solar revenue pays for meals, a village āhappiness busā for elderly people, a table-tennis facility and cultural activities.
The village deliberately chose to spend solar income on welfare rather than individual dividends, a decision Jeon says residents made themselves rather than being persuaded."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/16/south-korea-solar-power-renewables-revolution