Modern civilization and development depend on sufficient energy supply. We need it for lighting, heating, cooling and mobility. Unfortunately the production of energy is increasingly recognized as a major source of environmental problems.
How to satisfy the growing energy demands in an environmentally safe and economically sound manner is of global concern. The utilization of renewable energy sources may prove to be a solution to overcome this challenge.
Unfortunately the costs to produce renewable energy are perceived as generally higher than those for fossil fuels. This has lead to limited use of renewable sources in the global energy market.
However, the cost differential between renewable energy and fossil and nuclear energy has been exacerbated by long-term support provided by governments in the form of direct or indirect subsidies.
Since the beginning of the nineties, Germany has been a leader in renewable energies, in both science and legislation.
The legal framework, the Renewable Energy Act implemented in April 2000, regulates take-off obligations and fixed price agreements. Since 1998 Germanys renewable energy production has grown steadily from 5.2 % to 8 % in 2002. The projected goal is 14 % by 2010.
The utilisation of wind energy in Germany is booming. Up to 15,000 wind energy plants are installed in the country. Long term plans, by 2030, forecast possible power generation from land and sea wind parks will account for 25% of the total energy needs in Germany. The next steps in technological development are happening now with the introduction of off-shore wind turbines with a capacity of 5 MW.
The development of photovoltaic systems is also very advanced in Germany. Just two weeks ago the world's largest solar power plant (5 MWp) opened in Leibzig, covering over 20 hectares of a former landfill. Germany is the largest producer of solar cells in Europe, and worldwide, is second only to Japan. This year the German PV market is growing at a rate of 50%.
German energy offers high potential for future energy generation. Scientists estimate that up to 60% of Germany power supply may be generated from geo-thermal energy.
Another major source of CO2 pollution and energy consumption is transport. Worldwide car manufacturers are researching new technologies. Low pollution and low fuel consumption are important features for today's customers.
But the ultimate response to calls for "'zero emissions" will be fuel cell powered cars generating electricity from hydrogen and oxygen. What seems like science fiction is fast becoming reality: In 2004 DaimlerChrysler is putting 60 fuel cell A-class cars on streets worldwide for prolonged, everyday testing. In this way DaimlerChrysler is demonstrating technological leadership in the field of sustainable mobility.
To promote the development of renewable energy abroad the "Export-Initiative Renewable Energy", was implemented by the German government in 2002. Moreover the German government arranged a world conference in 2004: RENEWABLES 2004, which showcased the latest developments in this field.
Because of German government initiatives and Taiwan's increasing awareness of environmental policy, the German Trade Office Taipei actively promotes the application of renewable energies in Taiwan. The result was a two-day-symposium "Renewable Energies -- Technology for a Sustainable Tomorrow" in May this year. German experts in the fields of politics, science and economy shared their experiences and latest developments to an interested Taiwanese audience.
The German Trade Office Taipei will continue to promote business and research cooperation in the field of renewable energy with technical seminars, trade delegations and case-by-case consulting for German technology companies.
The nation’s fastest supercomputer, Nano 4 (晶創26), is scheduled to be launched in the third quarter, and would be used to train large language models in finance and national defense sectors, the National Center for High-Performance Computing (NCHC) said. The supercomputer, which would operate at about 86.05 petaflops, is being tested at a new cloud computing center in the Southern Taiwan Science Park in Tainan. The exterior of the server cabinet features chip circuitry patterns overlaid with a map of Taiwan, highlighting the nation’s central position in the semiconductor industry. The center also houses Taiwania 2, Taiwania 3, Forerunner 1 and
MORE POPULAR: Taiwan Pass sales increased by 59 percent during the first quarter compared with the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said The Tourism Administration yesterday said that it has streamlined the Taiwan Pass, with two versions available for purchase beginning today. The tourism agency has made the pass available to international tourists since 2024, allowing them to access the high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway Corp services, four MRT systems and four Taiwan Tourist Shuttles. Previously, five types of Taiwan Pass were available, but some tourists have said that the offerings were too complicated. The agency said only two types of Taiwan Pass would be available, starting from a three-day pass with the high-speed rail and a three-day pass with Taiwan Railway Corp. The former costs NT$2,800
FIRST TRIAL: Ko’s lawyers sought reduced bail and other concessions, as did other defendants, but the bail judge denied their requests, citing the severity of the sentences Former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was yesterday sentenced to 17 years in prison and had his civil rights suspended for six years over corruption, embezzlement and other charges. Taipei prosecutors in December last year asked the Taipei District Court for a combined 28-year, six-month sentence for the four cases against Ko, who founded the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The cases were linked to the Core Pacific City (京華城購物中心) redevelopment project and the mismanagement of political donations. Other defendants convicted on separate charges included Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇), who was handed a 15-year, six-month sentence; Core Pacific
J-6 REMODEL: The converted drones are part of Beijing’s expanding mix of airpower weapons, including bombers with stand-off missiles and UAV swarms, the report said China has stationed obsolete supersonic fighters converted to attack drones at six air bases close to the Taiwan Strait, a report published this month by the Arlington, Virginia-based Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies said. Satellite imagery of the airfields from the institute’s “China Airpower Tracker” shows what appear to be lines of stubby, swept-winged aircraft matching the shape of J-6 fighters that first flew with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force in the 1960s. Since their conversion to drones, the aircraft have been identified at five bases in China’s Fujian Province and one in Guangdong Province, the report said. J.
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