Taiwan signed an agreement with Denmark yesterday to incorporate technologies to help provide alternative energy production sources.
The memorandum of understanding was signed between the Energy Commission under the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Danish Energy Agency. The memorandum is similar to agreement with the US and the Netherlands, the commission said.
PHOTO: VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS
Chen Chao-yih (
"Cooperation will involve relevant organizations, energy agencies, research institutes, and industrial companies from both countries," Chen said.
Chen said Taiwan would focus on incorporating technologies for wind energy and biomass, both of which have been well developed in Denmark. Biomass refers to organic matter which can be converted to energy.
Denmark has focused on alternative energy sources since the first oil crisis in 1974 and has become one of leading global providers of technologies for wind energy.
The market for wind energy has a lot of room for expansion. According to the Danish delegation, the share of electricity generated by wind energy in their country is 9 percent and that figure will grow to 20 percent by the year 2003. Currently, just 0.5 percent of energy in Europe comes from wind, and a mere 0.015 percent worldwide.
At a Danish energy-technologies seminar held yesterday, commission executive secretary Chen said that no more nuclear power plants would be built in Taiwan.
Ole Tarp, a representative from the Danish Energy Agency, said that international cooperation for promoting renewable energy sources was necessary because the use of fossil fuels is ruining the world's environment.
Denmark-based Vestas Wind Systems -- a wind turbine manufacturer -- has worked with Formosa Plastics Co (
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