Six sets of wind power generators installed by Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) in Siangshan District (香山), Hsinchu City, are slated to begin operations next month, a Taipower official said yesterday.
The generators are among the first wind power facilities installed by Taipower as the state-run power company plans to gradually reduce reliance on thermo power and increase usage of wind energy to diversify the nation’s energy sources and protect the environment.
Each of the six sets of generators in Hsinchu is expected to produce 2,000 watts of electricity per year, which will supply power to an estimated 1,000 households, said Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄), a Taipower department chief in charge of the generators’ installation.
The project, which requires an investment of NT$670 million (US$21.27 million), can help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 30,000 tonnes each year, Chen said.
From 2010 to 2020, Taipower plans to install 546 wind turbines on the west coast of Taiwan and the island county of Penghu, which experiences the strongest winds in Taiwan.
Taiwan relies on coal-fired power plants for most of its energy, and wind power for only about 0.02 percent of its electricity, but is hoping to boost the percentage of wind power to 4.2 percent by the beginning of the next decade.
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