The government aims to boost the nation’s photovoltaics installed capacity to 6.5GW by the end of next year, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday.
The target was set for the second stage of the “two-year photovoltaic energy development plan,” with the first stage having concluded last year, Su said.
Photovoltaics play a vital role in the nation’s efforts to realize the goal of boosting the ratio of renewable energy in the nation’s energy mix to 20 percent by 2025.
If the target is reached, it would help to stabilize the nation’s energy supply, reduce its reliance on imported energy and spur industrial growth, Su said.
The government plans to achieve this goal by having large companies in industrial parks, science parks and export processing zones install solar panels on the roofs of their premises, Bureau of Energy Director Yu Chen-wei (游振偉) said.
It plans to collaborate with animal and fish farms to establish solar power generation facilities, as well as subsidize local governments’ policies to promote public and private photovoltaic power generation facilities, Yu said.
As of last year, the nation’s photovoltaic installed capacity reached 2.8GW, Yu said.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs expects to add another 1.5GW by the end of this year and another 2.2GW next year, he said.
Quoting Su, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said it was “exhilarating” that the nation’s solar energy supply on Sept. 2 reached a record high of more than 2GW — equivalent to 5.8 percent of the nation’s total energy supply.
It also exceeded the energy supply of the two reactors at the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Wanli District (萬里) or the two units at the Ma-anshan (馬鞍山) Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County, she quoted Su as saying, adding that the figure was a milestone in the development of photovoltaics.
Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Tseng Wen-sheng (曾文生) said that the nation’s power consumption hit a record of 37.38 million kilowatt-hour on July 7.
Photovoltaics contributed a record 4.8 percent to overall power supply that day, he said.
The ministry is confident that the supply of solar energy would reach new highs next year, he said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS