Of the 82 wind turbines that make up Taiwan Power Co's (Taipower, (台電) wind-powered energy generation plans, as many as 51 turbines have at one time or another been inoperative.
Taipower blames the high rate of malfunctioning on Taiwan’s hot climate and lack of supporting equipment. The high rate of breakdown is a significant setback to the implementation of the government’s renewable energy policy.
To meet government targets for clean energy, Taipower planned to invest NT$19 billion (US$624 million) in 180 wind turbines, with a total capacity of 330,000 kilowatts, between 2003 and 2010. However, to date, only 82 have been completed, with the malfunction rate reaching a high 62 percent.
Taipower said that, of the malfunctioning turbines, three were manufactured by GE, 22 by Harakosan and six by Gamesa. Most of the turbines are distributed along the western shoreline.
In terms of generation, the 82 completed turbines have generated 560 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. At NT$2 per kilowatt-hour, the turbines have generated NT$1.12 billion, a miniscule sum compared with its investment of nearly NT$10 billion.
As for capacity utilization, only the turbines in Penghu County and Changhua County were able to operate at 47 percent and 35 percent respectively. In other areas, such as in Shihmen (石門), Taipei County, and Hengchun (恆春), Pingtung County, the turbines were operating at less than 30 percent capacity.
Commenting on the major problems surrounding wind power generation, an unnamed director from Taipower described the situation as “utterly ridiculous.” Some Taipower staff also questioned the fact that the department in charge of wind-power generation had not been held responsible nor faced disciplinary action.
Sources say that the 51 faulty turbines were all contract based on the most advantageous, rather than the lowest, bids.
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
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
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,
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