The South Korean Ministry of Education is actively promoting the 'Sunshine School' initiative, which aims to expand solar power systems in public elementary, middle, and high schools across the country by 2030. This initiative comes in response to the increasing electricity usage in schools, which rose from approximately 3.448 billion kWh in 2020 to a projected 4.434 billion kWh by 2024, resulting in a dramatic increase in electricity costs from approximately 358.5 billion KRW to 634 billion KRW in the same period. Currently, about 34.6% of schools have already implemented solar power systems, and the Ministry's goal is to achieve approximately 77% coverage by installing solar facilities across nearly 7,944 schools, excluding smaller and older institutions that face installation challenges.

An example of this initiative is the installation of three solar panels on the rooftop of Busan Dong High School, which has been operational since 2018. The school's principal, Kim Hye-sun, noted the significant reduction in electricity costs amounting to approximately 3 million KRW over the last year due to solar energy generation. The use of solar energy helps meet the school's energy needs during peak daytime hours and serves as a tangible representation of environmentally friendly energy usage for students, effectively promoting climate education in the process. This success story reflects the positive impact such initiatives can have on school finances and student awareness of environmental issues.

In the current year, the Ministry plans to expand solar installations in 400 schools as part of a pilot project, which includes both new installations and upgrades during school facility development. The initiative incorporates a budget of 43.3 billion KRW allocated specifically for these solar setups, emphasizing a self-consumption model wherein schools will replace a portion of their electricity usage with solar energy. Following the pilot, the Ministry will prepare a comprehensive implementation plan in November 2023, setting the groundwork for a significant move toward renewable energy within the country's educational institutions.