The government’s proposed cuts to the renewable energy feed-in tariff (FIT) are unacceptable and harmful to the long-term viability of the industry, solar power operators said yesterday.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has proposed slashing the FIT for ground-mounted solar power by 12.15 percent to NT$3.7228 per unit, in addition to a 11.6 percent reduction for floating solar power to NT$4.1665 per unit.
The proposed cuts far exceed the global average reduction of 4.25 percent earmarked for next year, and such a change would significantly affect local development of solar power, given the higher costs required to build projects in Taiwan, the Photovoltaic Generation System Association of the Republic of China, trade group SEMI’s photovoltaic committee and the Taiwan Photovoltaic Industry Association told a news conference in Taipei.
The local solar power industry is subject to higher land rent costs and other obligations, such as furnishing incentives to local governments and land owners, environmental conservation and precautions against typhoons, earthquakes and saltwater damage, the groups said, joining protests voiced by offshore wind farm developers on Friday last week.
These factors lead to a 30 percent reduction in solar power revenue, the groups said, adding that the industry would not be able to cope with such steep FIT cuts.
United Renewable Energy Co (聯合再生能源) chairman Sam Hong (洪傳獻) said that the government should raise the FIT for operators willing to build their own booster stations.
The FIT should be raised at least 6 percent to NT$3.9686 per unit, as booster stations are costly to build and are an important part of integrating renewable energy into the power grid, Hong said.
While the cost of solar panels has been decreasing by 10 percent annually, the panels only represent 25 percent of a solar power generation system, which translates to a reduced cost of 2.5 percent, Hong added.
“The government’s proposed FIT cuts simply do not suit the situation in Taiwan,” Hong said, adding that raising the FIT by 9 percent would be ideal for operators with larger commitments.
Local companies are not demanding greater profitability, as many are still operating in the red, he added.
Elon Musk’s lieutenants have reached out to chip industry suppliers, including Applied Materials Inc, Tokyo Electron Ltd and Lam Research Corp, for his envisioned Terafab, early steps in an audacious and likely arduous attempt to break into the production of cutting-edge chips. Staff working for the joint venture between Tesla Inc and Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX) have sought price quotes and delivery times for an array of chipmaking gear, people familiar with the matter said. In past weeks, they’ve contacted makers of photomasks, substrates, etchers, depositors, cleaning devices, testers and other tools, according to the people, who asked not to
The EU and US are nearing an agreement to coordinate on producing and securing critical minerals, part of a push to break reliance on Chinese supplies. The potential deal would create incentives, such as minimum prices, that could advantage non-Chinese suppliers, according to a draft of an “action plan” seen by Bloomberg. The EU and US would also cooperate on standards, investments and joint projects, as well as coordinate on any supply disruptions by countries like China. The two sides are additionally seeking other “like-minded partners” to join a multicountry accord to help create these new critical mineral supply chains, which feed into
Japan approved ￥631.5 billion (US$3.97 billion) in additional subsidies to hasten Rapidus Corp’s entry into the high-stakes artificial intelligence (AI) chipmaking arena, ramping up support for a project widely regarded as a long shot. The capital is intended to bankroll Rapidus’ work for information technology firm Fujitsu Ltd, one of the initial customers that Tokyo hopes would get the signature endeavor off the ground. The new money raises the fees and investments that the government is injecting into the start-up to ￥2.6 trillion by the end of the current fiscal year to March next year, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and
The founder of Chinese property giant Evergrande Group (恆大集團) has pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and bribery, a court said yesterday, the latest blow for what was once the country’s leading developer. Evergrande’s rise was propelled by decades of rapid urbanization and rising living standards, but in 2020, its access to credit dramatically narrowed when the government introduced curbs on excessive borrowing and speculation. The company defaulted in 2021 after struggling to repay creditors. Founder Xu Jiayin (許家印), 67, known as Hui Ka Yan in Cantonese, was reportedly held by police in 2023, with Evergrande saying he had been subjected to
RSS