The number of wind turbines along the west coast is now more than 100 and the renewable energy generated by these units should be sufficient to prevent emissions of 250,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, energy officials said yesterday.
During a ceremony at the Changhua Coastal Industrial Park to promote the use and efficiency of wind power, officials from the Bureau of Energy under the Ministry of Economic Affairs said the 103 giant wind turbines located at 13 wind farms along the west coast can generate 420 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year -- enough energy to power as many as 105,000 households.
The windmills were established by Taiwan Power (Taipower), the private-run Tien-Lung Paper and InfraVest Wind Power Group, a German company that entered the market in 2000 as the first wind farm builder in Taiwan.
PHOTO: CNA
Officials said that more windmills are under construction in western coastal areas and Penghu, with an additional total capacity of 500 megawatts.
Each unit will cost at least NT$100 million (US$3 million) to build.
They said the coastal areas are ideal for the development of wind power, as they enjoy six months of strong northwesterly winds every year, with an average wind speed of 5 meters per second to 6 meters per second.
The Bureau of Energy has set the target of generating enough renewable energy to meet 10 percent of the country's electricity needs by 2010, with wind power making up 80 percent of the renewable energy.
Taipower, the sole electricity supplier in the country, began to harness wind energy in 2002 and plans to establish 200 wind turbines in Taiwan proper and Penghu by 2010.
Taipower's long-term wind power development plant will build an additional 546 wind turbines between 2010 and 2020 in shallow waters off the west coast and Penghu, with a total capacity of 1,980 megawatts.
The estimated cost for the wind turbines is NT$200 million each.
Out of the 546 windmills, 176 will be built off Penghu and the electricity generated by these units will be relayed to Taiwan through a 40km-long undersea cable.
The other 370 units will be established 10km to 15km off the coast of Changhua and Yunlin counties, Taipower said.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS