Citizens propose urban solar income policies at Myongji University assembly

Myongji University successfully hosted the '1st All-People Energy Citizens' Assembly: Citizens Creating Urban Solar Income Villages and Energy Transition,' bringing together 100 citizens to deliberate on innovative renewable energy policies. The event, held on June 27th, served as the final stage for the '2026 Myongji Climate and Energy Transition Academy – Urban Solar Income Village Citizen School.' This initiative was jointly organized by Myongji University's Bangmok College of Liberal Arts, the Green Transition Institute, and several other environmental and energy organizations.

The Citizen School program, designed to empower citizens to develop renewable energy transition models suitable for urban settings, selected 40 participants from 270 applicants. These participants, including professionals from civil society, public institutions, academia, and policy sectors, underwent an eight-week intensive course. They studied urban renewable energy policies, solar technology, business structures, cooperative management, and the 'solar dividend' model, culminating in the design of practical models for Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan area.

During the assembly, participants presented six distinct urban solar income village models. Following these presentations, 11 discussion groups, comprising both Citizen School participants and the general public, engaged in in-depth deliberations. Key discussion points included strategies for expanding renewable energy generation using diverse urban spaces such as public idle land, schools, apartment complexes, and riverbanks. Participants also focused on establishing resident-participatory operational structures, exploring the feasibility of profit-sharing and 'solar dividend' models, and identifying the administrative support and legal/institutional reforms needed to facilitate these initiatives. The outcomes of this assembly are expected to be compiled into policy proposals and action plans for relevant organizations and networks, furthering Myongji University's commitment to promoting citizen-led urban energy transition models.

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Climate crisis and energy transition are not just the domain of government and experts, but tasks that citizens must participate in and create together. This citizens' assembly is highly meaningful in that citizens directly designed urban renewable energy models and connected them to concrete policy proposals through deliberation.