President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) reiterated yesterday that Taiwan remains committed to the development of renewable energy sources and is to continue pursuing new energy ideas.
“This is an era when people should not give up any energy options,” Ma said, speaking at the national conference of the annual Youth Policy Forum held by the Ministry of Education. “Taiwan must spare no effort to develop renewable energy.”
Ma added that Taiwan must determine what combination of energy resources are best for the nation and have the public’s support.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
He said that the nation’s renewable energy policy often faces a dilemma, since plans to build renewable energy-generating systems on land draw opposition from farmers, while creating sea-based power generation results in objections from fishermen.
Therefore, he said he found that for a renewable energy development plan to be successful, the developer should first try to learn what local residents want and sign a mutually beneficial agreement, Ma said.
In Taiwan, the main renewable energy sources are wind and solar. Electricity generated by renewable energy sources accounted for 8.7 percent of the total energy output as of the end of last year, according to the state-run Taiwan Power Co.
More than 300 people aged 18 to 35 attended the conference yesterday to discuss various issues ranging from culture, education and environmental protection to international and social matters.
Ma attended the forum in the morning and answered participants’ questions, leaving the meeting shortly before noon.
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