Taipei to turn former landfill into solar plant

Taipei is building its first solar power plant using ground-mounted solar panels at a former landfill, the city government said yesterday.

The project is part of the capital’s efforts to expand the use of renewable energy.

The Taipei Department of Environmental Protection yesterday signed a contract with Taipei-based Tatung, one of Taiwan’s leading brands for energy saving and “green” energy-related systems and services, at a ceremony at Fudekeng Environmental Restoration Park (福德坑復育公園), where the solar power plant is to be built.

The 37 hectare park in the Muzha (木柵) area on the southeastern edge of the city used to be a landfill.

The solar power plant is expected to be completed by the end of this year and is to be able to generate up to 2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, the Taipei Department of Environmental Protection said.

Speaking at the ceremony, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said that renewable energy sources generate about 487 million kilowatt-hours of electricity for Taipei, which accounts for only 3 percent of the city’s total power consumption.

The city is aiming to increase the contribution by renewable energy sources to 10 percent of its total power generation by the end of 2025, Ko said.

To that end, the city government is to use public land to develop solar power systems and will also subsidize the private sector to install solar power facilities to encourage wider use of solar energy, Ko said.

The new plant is expected to cut 18,905 tonnes of carbon emissions in the city annually, the department said.

The park is spacious and receives sufficient sunlight, department Commissioner Liou Ming-lone (劉銘龍) said, citing the latter as one of the reasons that it was chosen as the location for the plant.