The Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday established the National Renewable Energy Certificate center as part of efforts to attract foreign enterprises that pledge to use “renewable” energy when investing or placing orders with local manufacturers.
“Google and some foreign companies used to raise doubts over the ‘purity’ of the renewable energy supply here. Certificates issued by the center could ease such concerns,” Minister of Economic Affairs Lee Chih-kung (李世光) said, adding that both Google and Apple Inc have welcomed the center.
The Taipei-based center is to issue its first renewable energy certificate (REC) before the end of June at the earliest, according to the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Economic Affairs
‘GREEN’ TAGS
RECs, also known as “green” tags, provide proof that an enterprise’s electricity was generated from an eligible renewable energy source. The US, EU, Japan and Australia also have institutions to issue RECs.
Certifiable renewable energy sources include solar, wind, biomass, hydroelectric and geothermal power, bureau Director-General Liu Ming-chung (劉明忠) said.
The center will verify the power generation process and investigate a company’s actual “green” power usage, Liu said.
In addition, the center could serve as a matchmaking platform to help enterprises seek power companies to buy “green” energy and obtain RECs.
CLOSELY MONITORED
Some international companies, such as Google, have closely monitored the ministry’s process to establish the center as they have investments in Taiwan, a source at the bureau told the Taipei Times on condition of anonymity.
The source said that after Apple on Thursday released its environmental report saying that three more of its suppliers have pledged to power their production lines only with renewable energy sources by the end of next year, the bureau received “countless” calls from local firms in the Apple supply chain asking about the process of applying for RECs.
The bureau is to host a conference for enterprises and power companies on Friday next week to explain the REC application process in detail, the source said.
FORECAST EXCEEDED: China’s curbs on some Taiwanese goods are unlikely to affect trade given inter-reliance in the electronics industries, a finance ministry official said Exports last month spiked 14.2 percent to US$43.32 billion, the second-highest increase on record and the 25th consecutive month of gains, driven by global demand for electronics used in high-performance computing and vehicles, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The ministry expects the trend to sustain this month and beyond, although the pace could slow due to inventory corrections for laptops, smartphones and other consumer electronics. “The July results proved stronger than expected despite rising fears over economic uncertainty,” Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) said, adding that a high sales season in the West and stabilized COVID-19 infections in China
DISMAL OUTLOOK: A Citigroup analyst predicted firms face ‘the worst semiconductor downturn in at least a decade,’ due to inventory build and the potential of a recession Semiconductor stocks tumbled after Micron Technology Inc became the latest chipmaker to warn about slowing demand, triggering concern that the industry is heading into a painful downturn. In the US on Tuesday, the Philadelphia semiconductor index sank 4.6 percent, with all 30 members in the red, its biggest drop in about two months. In Asia, chip stocks from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) to Samsung Electronics Co, SK Hynix Inc and Tokyo Electron Ltd slumped. Investors are growing increasingly skittish as the notoriously cyclical industry is hurtling toward a prolonged slump after years of widespread shortages that led to heavy
With a tantalizing array of satay chicken, wok-fried mud crab and chilled tiger prawns, the dinner buffet at Singapore’s Grand Hyatt hotel typically sets diners back about US$70. Those on a tighter budget and with an eye on sustainability can fill a box for one-tenth of that price. Across Asia, tech start-ups are taking food otherwise destined for landfill and providing discounted meals through mobile phone apps. About one-third of food is lost or wasted every year globally, and the mountains of waste are estimated to cause 8 to 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions such as methane, the UN says.
MAJOR REVENUE CONTRIBUTOR: The company said that it expects revenue this year to increase annually due to an improved smart consumer electronics outlook Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) yesterday said revenue this quarter would be flat from last quarter, despite new phone models launched by key customers, as the market faces weakening demand. The iPhone assembler, based in New Taipei City’s Tucheng District (土城), said it is cautious about its business outlook, given mounting uncertainty regarding geopolitical tensions, soaring inflation and COVID-19 flare-ups, but still expects revenue this quarter to be higher than the NT$1.4 trillion (US$46.67 billion) it reported a year earlier. The forecast came as the company posted record second-quarter net profit of NT$33.29 billion, up 12 percent year-on-year from NT$29.78 billion.
RSS