Robust infrastructure and a clear regulatory framework are the key elements in the nation’s efforts to develop offshore wind farms, foreign industry representatives said at a forum in Taipei on Wednesday.
Taiwan is moving fast to introduce offshore wind farms, said Martin Skiba, chairman of World Forum Offshore Wind (WFO), the first organization dedicated to fostering the global growth of offshore wind energy and the forum’s organizer.
As the sector is just emerging, there are challenges that need to be addressed, Skiba said.
Typical challenges are the inability to develop robust infrastructure, including reinforcement of onshore grid networks and harbor facilities to better install transmission lines, he said.
The biggest concern about investing in Taiwan is the need for a clear and detailed industry road map, Germany-based Innogy director of offshore investment and asset management Richard Sandford said.
While recognizing that Taiwan has set a goal of generating 5.5 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2025, Sandford said the related regulatory framework is not in place.
“You’ve got the target, which is great,” he said, adding that there are no details as yet about bidding on tariffs, for instance, including how often auctions would be held and how much generating capacity is to be auctioned.
“We don’t yet know the details of the rules,” he said. “Having clarity over the regulatory work would be very useful.”
WFO members have set a target of generating more than 500 gigawatts of installed capacity by 2050 worldwide, based on them adding a record total of 5 gigawatts last year.
Skiba said he is not sure what proportion Taiwan would contribute by then, but added that Asia is likely to produce between 300 and 350 gigawatts, making it the biggest market in the sector.
There are no Taiwanese companies directly involved in the WFO yet, but interested local companies in the offshore wind farm supply chain are welcome to join the group, he said.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
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A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
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