In concert with the government’s plan to achieve a nuclear-free homeland by 2025, the Ministry of Interior on Thursday last week approved an amendment to regulations that will allow existing public cemeteries to install solar power generation equipment on their land. At present, Taiwan contains 2,800 public cemeteries encompassing a total land area of nearly 8,000 hectares. While work to relocate graves has finished on an initial phase of public cemeteries opened up for power generation, the government will prioritize use of unused green spaces. It is anticipated that county and city governments will be in a position to provide more accurate figures in one month’s time.
According to Deputy Director of the ministry’s Department of Civil Affairs Cheng Ying-hung, in recent years cremation has accounted for over 96 percent of all funerals, while burials have made up less than 4 percent. The additional ongoing relocation of graves means that public graveyards now contain idle land which is mostly left as green spaces.
At a press conference at the Executive Yuan on Friday, Cabinet spokesperson Kolas Yotaka said the plan is not to produce electricity directly within graveyards, but on land adjacent to graveyards. Yotaka added the government is moving Heaven and Earth to drive forward green energy and using space adjacent to graveyards is just one of several options. Furthermore, unlike wind power generation, which can create a significant amount of noise, these spaces will be used for solar power generation, and the ministry will carry out rigorous assessments and consult with local government, Yotaka said.
Photo courtesy of Taiwan Power Co
照片:台電提供
Also, Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) has constructed the country’s first combined “double green” power station. Dajia River power station is Taiwan’s largest hydroelectric power station and is comprised of seven groups of power generators upstream and downstream of the river basin. Taipower has installed a “floating solar power station” on top of one of the generation unit’s saddle pools. The power station, which was connected to the grid in March, is expected to be able to generate enough power to support the monthly electricity needs of more than 1,000 households and reduce annual carbon emissions by 1.23 million tonnes.
(Liberty Times, translated by Edward Jones)
配合二○二五非核家園目標,內政部上週四修訂通過既有公墓土地容許設置太陽能發電設施,根據初步統計,目前全國公墓超過二八○○處、土地面積近八千公頃;不過,初期開放種電的公墓,以遷葬作業已完成、現狀為綠地閒置狀態等類型為優先,預計一個月後縣市政府將會回報更精確數字。
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
照片:維基共享資源
內政部民政司副司長鄭英弘指出,近幾年殯葬採取火化的比率超過百分之九十六,採取土葬不到百分之四,加上遷葬作業持續進行,部分公墓出現閒置狀態,多數僅是拿來當做綠地。
行政院發言人谷辣斯.尤達卡上週五在行政院記者會表示,這並不是在公墓上直接種電,而是在公墓旁空地,政府現在推動綠能不遺餘力,在墓地週邊可利用的空間發電,是其中的一個選項,而且這並不是像風力發電可能會產生大量噪音,而是屬於太陽光電的發電,相信內政部一定會審慎評估,也會與各地方政府溝通。
另外,台電已打造了全台首座「雙綠能電廠」。大甲溪電廠是全國最大的水力發電廠,整個流域上下游總計有七部發電廠與機組,台電利用其中的馬鞍機組後池設置「水上太陽光電站」,已於今年三月併聯發電,預計提供超過一千戶家庭月用電量,並且年減一百二十三萬噸碳排放量。
(自由時報)
Follow Up
讀後練習
Reading Comprehension
Global concern over nuclear energy safety
The 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster at the Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan is the most serious nuclear power incident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Following the Taihoku earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011, active reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant were automatically shut down. However, the tsunami disabled emergency generators, which meant that pumps necessary to cool the reactors could not be used. This caused three nuclear meltdowns and the release of radioactive material.
The incident caused alarm around the world and sparked a movement to phase-out nuclear power in many countries, including Taiwan, due to concerns that nuclear power may not be as safe as had previously been thought.
However, no fatalities have been linked to radiation leaks following the accident and separate reports by both the UN and WHO found radiation exposure has not led to an increase in mental or physical health problems in babies born after the accident.
An investigation by the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent
Investigation Commission found that the plant’s operator had not followed basic safety procedures nor developed evacuation plans. The investigation also found that the Japanese government’s response was inadequate and poorly managed. Decontamination and decommissioning work at the plant is ongoing and is expected to take between 30 to 40 years to complete.
(Edward Jones, Taipei Times)
A: Wow, three Taiwanese restaurants just won the 2024 “Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants” awards. B: Awesome! Which three restaurants? A: Taipei’s Logy at No. 22 and MUME at No. 34, and Taichung’s JL Studio at No. 33. B: Actually, there are many more great establishments in Taipei. How about other Asian cities? A: Singapore claimed nine spots this year, making it Asia’s new “food capital.” A: 2024「亞洲50最佳餐廳」名單揭曉了,台灣有3家餐廳上榜。 B: 好厲害,哪3家? A: 台北的Logy和MUME分獲第22和34名,台中的JL Studio獲第33名! B: 其實台北還有很多好餐廳,那其他的亞洲城市呢? A: 新加坡今年入選9家,可說是亞洲美食之都。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Let’s explore another delicacy primarily known to Tainan locals: floating milkfish in thick soup. Despite its peculiar name, this dish is another Tainan specialty that showcases the popularity of milkfish, which is made into fish paste and served in thick soup. Unlike the version with tutuo fish, which also adds other ingredients to its thick soup, the floating milkfish version primarily features the “floating fish” itself in its thick soup, ensuring that the fish paste remains the star of the dish. 讓我們來探索另一道台南人熟悉的美食:浮水魚羹。這道菜名奇特的美食,再再展現了台南虱目魚料理的多樣。浮水魚羹是用虱目魚漿做成的羹品,雖然和𩵚魠魚羹一樣是羹湯,但不像𩵚魠魚羹會在湯中加入其他食材,而是讓虱目魚漿成為這道料理的主角。 peculiar (adj.) 獨特的;古怪的 The belly of a milkfish is considered the most
The practice of freezing embryos as part of in vitro fertilization (IVF) was thrown into chaos in Alabama this year, when the state supreme court ruled that such embryos should be considered children, exposing clinics to wrongful death claims in the event they are destroyed in the thawing process. In 2021, more than 80 percent of US IVF procedures involved the transfer of frozen embryos, according to a recent report by the US Department of Health and Human Services. HOW IS EMBRYO FREEZING USED IN IVF? IVF uses high doses of hormones to stimulate ovaries to produce as many eggs as possible. Once
A situation puzzle is a game in which one person describes a scenario and asks the players to explain it. The situation is deliberately lacking in details, but the players may acquire more information by asking questions — however, these can only be answered with “yes” or “no.” A player wins by describing the approximate events that led up to the situation. To do so, they must use a blend of logical and lateral thinking. A famous example of this is sometimes known as “Turtle Soup.” Here’s the riddle: “A man in a restaurant orders turtle soup, tastes it