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Seicho-No-Ie News

SEICHO-NO-IE REPUBLIC OF KOREA INSTALLS A SOLAR POWER GENERATOR: THE FIRST ONE IN OVERSEAS SNI ORGANIZATIONS


Installation of 24 KW Solar Panels on the Roof of Kwang Myong Hoy Building

In the Republic of Korea, a solar power generator was installed on June 29 on the roof of the Kwang Myong Hoy’s five-story building/spiritual training center in Daegu. It started operating on the same day. This was the first solar power generating unit to be installed in overseas Seicho-No-Ie organizations.

The solar power generator was installed to coincide with the construction work to renovate Kwang Myong Hoy’s four-story building and make it a five-story building. The electricity output is a total of 24kW (120 sheets of 200W panels). An average of 2,520kW/h is estimated to be produced, which is equivalent to a little over 40% of all the electricity consumed in the building. The monthly saving is expected to be 350,000 won (approximately 46,000 yen).

Solar Panels installed on the roof of the building

The building was constructed in October 2002 as a four-story building, but from the beginning there was a plan to add a fifth floor, so that the structural and base work was already made then to accommodate it. Subsequently, with the growth of the Movement, the need arose for office space for the Lecturers Department, White Dove Association Department, Prosperity Society Department and Youth and Young Adult Association Department, accommodations for spiritual training seminar attendees and an ancestor memorial service hall. After deliberation last August at the Kwang Myong Hoy’s annual directors’ meeting, it was decided to install solar panels at the time of construction work for the addition of the fifth floor.

A subsidy of 20,7979,992 won (approximately 27,680,000 yen), or 60% of the total installation cost of solar panels, was provided by the Korean Energy Management Inc. According to the Agency, there had been no case of an application from a religious organization for large-scale installation of solar power generating units.

Comments of joy were received from the members, such as, “I feel proud to participate in the environmental protection activity by saving power and reducing CO2 emissions.”

All the construction work to add a 5th floor is to be completed by the end of August and there is a plan to hold an inauguration ceremony.


Remarks By Rev. Jeong Hee kim, Chairman of kwang Myong Hoy

“My wish has always been to keep in step with the International Headquarters’ Movement Policy. I appreciate the fact that the board of directors adopted this plan readily. Although there was a financial problem of having to borrow money for most of the installation cost, more than the financial problem, my conviction that switching to natural energy is what we must do now in order to protect the earth led to its materialization. When I actually saw how much CO2 emissions were reduced on the operation panel, I was moved.”