National Taiwan University (NTU) has won a Global Research Partnership (GRP) award worth more than NT$150 million (US$5 million) from a Saudi Arabian university with a visionary solar building technology research project, the school said on Thursday.
NTU is the only Asian university to have received the award created by the Saudi government last year with the aim of helping its King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) become a top-notch research institution, the spokesman said.
The Saudi government made international headlines last year when it announced its plan to set up the KAUST in a coastal town along the Red Sea some 50km north of Jeddah at a cost of more than US$10 billion. Construction began late last year and the university is scheduled to begin recruiting graduate students late next year.
Saudi authorities also set up the US$1 billion GRP award to encourage outstanding academics and research institutions around the world to address challenging scientific and technological issues and develop new technologies that will benefit the public.
The Saudi government sent invitations to 60 universities worldwide last year, asking them to come up with trailblazing research projects to vie for the award.
“The NTU was the only university in Taiwan invited to present research blueprints,” the NTU spokesman said.
A research team headed by Huang Bin-juine (黃秉鈞), a professor at the university’s Department of Mechanical Engineering who is also in charge of its new energy laboratory, initiated a pioneering and forward-looking research project focusing on solar building technology development.
Huang said the project covers two main themes — solar-assisted cooling and heating for buildings and solar-powered lighting using light emitting diodes.
The project will first be conducted at NTU’s new energy laboratory, with the research results later being transplanted to the KAUST. Huang’s team is also required to help the Saudi university establish a solar energy research center.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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