State-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) yesterday said construction of 11 new onshore wind turbines at three locations in Penghu County is to be completed in 2020, as part of the government’s initiative to turn Penghu into a low-carbon-footprint island.
Taipower said it is to build six 3 megawatt (MW) onshore turbines in Penghu’s Longmen Village (龍門), two in Jiangmei Village (講美) and three in Chikan Village (赤崁).
The number of onshore wind turbines in Penghu would increase to 25 from 14 after three years of construction, boosting the combined installed capacity to 43.2MW from 10.2MW, said Chen I-cheng (陳一成), director of Taipower’s department of renewable energy.
Photo courtesy of Taiwan Power Co
As a result, Penghu’s onshore wind farms would be capable of generating 150 million kilowatt-hours (kWh), up from the current level of about 26kWh, Taipower said.
The utility plans to allocate NT$2.5 billion (US$83.31 million) to the project, Chen said, adding that the region is seen as one of the best places in the nation to develop wind power.
“Penghu is expected to have sufficient wind power supply in winter [as the result of the new turbines],” he said, citing the strong northeasterly monsoon winds in winter.
In an effort to ensure a stable power supply, Taipower is also building a 67.9km-long underwater cable between Taiwan proper and Penghu — with the first phase of construction to be completed in November next year — for its offshore wind farms.
Taipower plans to construct 20 offshore wind turbines in Penghu with a combined installed capacity of 140MW, the utility said, adding that the facilities are set to begin operations in 2023 at the earliest.
Using the underwater cable, Taiwan could supply electricity to Penghu when the wind farms are not capable of satisfying power demand in summer, while the excess electricity generated in Penghu during fall and winter can be transmitted to Taiwan.
Investment in Penghu’s wind farms has led to a reduction of more than 9,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year, Taipower said.
Penghu’s existing 14 turbines last year produced a total of 26.37kWh of electricity, contributing 6.4 percent of the island’s total electricity, while electricity generated by diesel engines and solar power systems made up 91.49 percent and 2.11 percent respectively.
The wind farms helped the local government save NT$118 million in fuel oil costs last year, Taipower said.
The ongoing wind power project is in line with the Cabinet’s goal of raising electricity generated from renewable energy from 4.8 percent last year to 20 percent in 2025.
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