How South Korea plans to use the Iran crisis to spur a renewables revolution

Floating solar panels on the sea in Goheung, South Korea. The country is pumping more money into solar power in the wake of the crisis in the Middle East. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty

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 village’s one-megawatt solar installation, which generates roughly 10m won ($6,800) in net profit each month.

“Residents eat lunch together every day, so we see each other’s faces, talk together,” says Jeon Joo-young, the village chief. “Bonds and solidarity between residents become much stronger. Life becomes more enjoyable.”