The government yesterday unveiled its plan to promote green energy, with all government vehicles in Taipei switching to E3 ethanol gasoline by September and biofuel expected to be available at all gas stations nationwide by 2011.
"The international community has been under pressure to curb carbon-dioxide emissions since the Kyoto Protocol took effect on Feb. 16, 2005," Minister of Economic Affairs Steve Chen (陳瑞隆) said.
"Although Taiwan is not a member of the UN and not bound by the Kyoto Protocol, we -- as a member of the global community -- cannot afford to isolate ourselves."
The minister made the remarks while addressing a monthly meeting attended by the president and other top government officials at the Presidential Office.
In addition to promoting energy-saving measures and upgrading energy efficiency, Chen said the government would aggressively push the use of renewable energy.
The government has set a goal of boosting deployment of power generated by clean energy to 10 percent of the total by 2010.
Aside from promoting power generated by solar, wind, water, geothermal and biomaterials, Chen said the government hoped to develop hydrogen energy and fuel cell technology.
A total of 428 city buses in Kaohsiung City have been using biodiesel since Jan. 27, Chen said, adding that Chiayi County's public buses were set to join the "green bus" project in the second half of the year.
Starting next month, B1 diesel will be available at gas stations in Taoyuan and Chiayi cities and counties, Chen said.
B1 diesel is a blend of 99 percent ordinary diesel and 1 percent biodiesel.
The government plans to have B1 diesel available at all gas stations nationwide by 2008 and B2 diesel by 2010, Chen said.
The state-owned CPC Corp, Taiwan, is expected to provide E3 ethanol gasoline in select gas stations in Taipei City in line with the ministry's plan to let all government vehicles in Taipei use E3 biofuel on a trial basis.
E3 ethanol gasoline is expected to be available at filling stations across the country by 2011.
E3 ethanol gasoline is composed of 97 percent gasoline and 3 percent ethanol.
The government will offer incentives to encourage motorists to switch to ethanol gasoline, Chen said.
Chen estimated that the global output of the green industry will reach US$665 billion by 2015, with Taiwan accounting for US$20 billion.
Taiwan is a niche supplier in the photoelectricity industry, with total output estimated to grow from NT$21.2 billion (US$642 million) last year to NT$60.8 billion in 2010, Chen said.
The nation also leads in the light emitting diode (LED) industry, ranking first in terms of worldwide volume and second in terms of value, Chen said.
Taiwan's annual production value of solar heating system has reached NT$1.2 billion, with a total of 36 manufacturing firms and 257 installation companies, Chen said.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
RSS