Experts yesterday gathered at an international forum in Taipei to exchange ideas on combined cooling, heating and power systems to create low-carbon communities.
Organized by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), the forum was held at National Taiwan University, with specialists on energy supply and market planning management from Denmark sharing their experiences with specialists and academics in Taiwan.
Environmental Protection Administration Minister Stephen Shen (沈世宏) said he visited Denmark last year and learned how the country makes good use of renewable energy sources including waste-to-energy, biomass and wind.
He also said Denmark had found the correct balance between power supply and heating or cooling demand and that its knowledge and experience could answer the energy problems in Taiwan.
Else Bernsen, chief project manager at COWI A/S, an international consulting group for engineering, environmental science and economics in Denmark, said sustainable energy development should be balanced between reliability of supply, economic efficiency and -environmental sustainability.
Bernsen said the energy efficiency of current power plants was low, resulting in much of the heat produced being wasted.
Bernsen said combined heat and power development and a district energy supply system could help reduce carbon emissions and held advantages for households, including requiring less space for heating installations, requiring no gas installation security checks or oil storage tanks, limited maintenance and cheaper heating prices.
The shift in energy systems development in Demark started in the 1970s because of the international energy crisis, Bernsen said, adding that substantial research was required to find the proper approach.
Claus Andreasson, chief operating officer at Burmeister & Wain Enery A/S, said that according to a report by a Taiwanese academic, the energy efficiency of power plants in Taiwan stood at only about 40 percent, meaning that 60 percent of the fuel was wasted.
This also meant that 60 percent of the carbon emissions were polluting the environment for no reason.
Asked how the public could be made to accept higher energy prices for a cleaner environment, Bernsen and Andreasson said the government had to provide incentives, such as the tax on heating oil in Denmark.
“This is for you as citizens to decide,” Andereasson said. “We have decided, and we are voting for the political parties in Denmark that are deciding to actually increase the cost of electricity and the cost of heating.”
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
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