Chen promotes renewable energy

Taiwan's and civil groups should do more to adopt renewable energy, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) told a group of German higher education institutions yesterday.

Chen that adopting renewable alternatives -- such as solar, wind power, geothermal and hydropower energy -- would be less detrimental to the environment than traditional energy sources.

"Taiwan has abundant renewable energy, but we use little of it," Chen said.

The president was speaking at the opening ceremony of an international forum held by the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst -- the German Academic Exchange Service -- an association of German higher education institutions.

Chen that renewable energy could be an answer to the problem of global warming, and that the international community has recognized its importance.

The president said that the Renewable Energies Act passed by the German government in April was a good example to follow.

"If the public in Taiwan also reaches a consensus in favor of renewable energy, it will definitely replace traditional energy in Taiwan in 10 to 15 years," he said.

Chen he would like to be the first to influence the government's thinking on energy policy by having the Presidential Office run on solar energy.

Hans-Josef Fell, a speaker for the Green Party Caucus in the German Bundestag, said that his country's energy act requires electricity suppliers to generate a certain percentage of their power from renewable sources.

Fell that there were many reasons to give up traditional energy such as nuclear energy, including safety reasons.

"Reasons for the decision include safety concerns, lack of ultimate disposal sites for radioactive waste, increasing costs and limited sources of uranium," Fell said.

He said that uranium for nuclear plants would be used up in 40 to 50 years.

Science Franz Alt said that Germany's anti-nuclear movement had been prompted by Chernobyl's 1986 meltdown in the former Soviet Union.

"In the past 25 years, we have built no new nuclear plants. Instead, we have closed some due to increasing costs," Alt said.

According to an EU plan, Alt said, 40 percent of Germany's energy supply will come from the sun by 2050.

Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲), president of Academia Sinica, said that people should be grateful for the sun because it provides earth with an unlimited energy source.

"It takes us a year to consume energy generated by the sun in a mere 45 minutes," Lee said, adding solar energy was also economical.

Dr Paul-Georg Gutermuth, a former official in charge of renewable energy policy in Germany's Ministry of Economic Affairs, said that costs, regulatory conditions and a lack of information impeded the progress of bringing renewable energy to the market.

"Research, development and demonstration at first formed the focus of government activities, while market incentives were added since the late 1970s," Gutermuth said.

Gutermuth said that governments could help in promoting renewable energy.

He said that measures that did not include financial assistance often went overlooked.