Residents in Cholsan County remove personal solar panels from their windows before a storm | Image: KCTV (Aug. 26, 2020)
North Korean authorities want to remove solar panels from individual homes in favor of building community solar farms, according to state media, calling the proposed system “more efficient” and “better-looking” as the country deals with chronic energy shortages.
But one expert expressed concern that North Koreans who increasingly rely on such solar panels could lose their access to electricity if authorities push through the new scheme.
North Korean authorities want to remove solar panels from individual homes in favor of building community solar farms, according to state media, calling the proposed system “more efficient” and “better-looking” as the country deals with chronic energy shortages.
But one expert expressed concern that North Koreans who increasingly rely on such solar panels could lose their access to electricity if authorities push through the new scheme.
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Colin Zwirko is a Senior Analytic Correspondent for NK News based in Seoul. He joined the company in 2018 after receiving a master's degree in international security and foreign policy from South Korea's Yonsei University. Follow him on Twitter.