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 batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS