DAEGU CITY,SOUTH KOREA BECOMMING A 'SMART SOLAR CITY'

DAEGU CITY,SOUTH KOREA BECOMMING A 'SMART SOLAR CITY'

DAEGU, South Korea -- DAEGU, South Korea -- Daegu, the third largest city in South Korea, which is known for its great amount of sunshine, has set long-term plans to develop clean energy, especially solar energy. 

The city, located in a basin surrounded by low mountains with a river flowing along its northern and eastern edges, has ambitious plans to become a model eco-friendly city for other cities in South Korea and the rest of the world. 

To present Daegu as a model green city, a garden campaign was started in the 1990s. So far, over 10 million trees have been planted in city parks, and concrete walls have been replaced by tree walls. Daegu has also worked to develop green transportation.

The city, which has the nickname Colorful Daegu, actually highlights South Korea’s endeavors to develop strategically important renewable energy resources like other industrialized countries. 

Daegu was selected for the development of the solar energy industry because the area is the warmest region in South Korea due to its humid subtropical climate. 

The national government has designated the city of over 2.5 million people as the engine of green growth and funded research and development (R&D) projects there. Many companies active in the development of green industries are located in Daegu and the surrounding area. 

Since 2001, the city has introduced eco-friendly green energy through the use of bioenergy, photovoltaic street lamps, small hydropower units, fuel cells, and geothermal heating and cooling. For example, a tower solar power system was completed in September 2011 and a hydrogen station is scheduled to be completed this month. This station is expected to expand facilities (compression of hydrogen and oxygen gas and supply to the containers) in 2015.

Due to the implementation of these low-carbon plans, the city has been recognized as a solar city by the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) and the International Solar Cities Initiative (ISCI). The ISCI selected Daegu to host the First International Solar Cities Congress in 2004. And the city will host the World Energy Congress (WEC) in October. 

Each year the city also hosts the Green Energy Expo, which is the largest renewable energy exhibition in Asia. 

Park Hee June, the WEC division director from the Daegu Municipal Government, told the Tehran Times that the national government has selected each province or area for the development of a particular industry, and Daegu was chosen for the development of solar technology.  

In addition, as part of the campaign to combat warming, millions of trees have been planted and walls have been removed in houses, schools, and public buildings, Park explained. 

Park also said that clean energy consumption is currently 6.3 percent in Daegu compared to the national average of 2.74 percent. And the city plans to increase the consumption of clean energy to 10 percent by 2020, he added. 

He went on to say that through the support of the national government for regional green energy industries, 587 companies related to green energy technology are now located in Daegu and the surrounding Gyeongbuk Province. 

For example, he stated, Samsung, which was founded in Daegu, has implemented two projects: manufacturing LEDs (light emitting diodes) and energy storage system. 

Becoming a ‘smart solar city’ 

Daegu is set to become a “smart solar city” through the development of green energy projects, energy efficiency, and training eco-friendly citizens.

Daegu is set to become a “smart solar city” through disseminating renewable energies, energy use efficiency, and clustering renewable energy industries.

For instance, the city plans to expand the LED lighting program for public buildings, develop green homes, and implement an energy conservation program for a target group of residential buildings. It is also planning to build 1000-megawatt-scale renewable energy and energy storage systems.

The Daegu Solar Tower 

The Daegu Solar Power Tower, located near the Seoul-Busan highway on a 23,000-square-meter parcel of land, is South Korea’s first solar power tower system. The system falls within the national plan to develop strategic technologies.

The solar tower, which is considered the city’s most important green project both in terms of the development of solar energy and research and development (R&D), was built by the Daesung Energy Company. The project began in December 2008 and was completed in September 2011.  

Technically speaking, the system uses 450 heliostats (reflecting mirrors) to concentrate sunlight at the top of the tower. The solar receiver at the top produces the heat source of thermal energy, and with that energy, the electric power generating system produces 200 kilowatts of electricity.

JAFRI.S

DAEGU CITY, SUTH KOREA