Power solutions provider Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) has been charging its business units an internal carbon price of US$300 per tonne this year, as the company aims to incentivize carbon reduction and raise funds for research and development (R&D) of green technology, chairman Yancy Hai (海英俊) told a decarbonization forum in Taipei.
“We all dream of a carbon-
neutral 2050, but it is not enough to boost renewable energy, we also need to curb consumption. At our current level of technology, carbon neutrality at any year is just a dream,” Hai said.
Photo courtesy of Fubon Financial Holding Co
The carbon price of US$300 per tonne is “quite high,” but the scheme is supposed to be “painful” by design, to incentivize carbon savings, he said.
“With the income from the scheme, we can invest in technologies like carbon capture that can be game changers in the future,” he added.
While Taiwan has set an ambitious goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, Hai said the rate of change is not fast enough, calling on Taiwanese businesses to go above and beyond to accelerate the rate of decarbonization.
The Taiwan Climate Partnership, which was founded by eight top Taiwanese tech companies — including Delta, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), Acer Inc (宏碁) and Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) — has the goal of forming a Taiwanese “green supply chain,” Hai said.
Taiwan’s carbon emissions per capita is among the top five in the world, Hai said, adding that he hoped the nation would be able to decouple economic growth from carbon emissions.
To decarbonize Taiwan’s grid, more energy storage would be necessary, and Delta has invested in large containerized storage units, he said.
Speaking at the same forum, Taiwan Institute of Sustainable Energy chairman Eugene Chien (簡又新) said that reaching net-zero must come with curbing power usage, as well as developing green energy.
“No amount of solar panels and wind turbines will help us decarbonize fully without reduction of demand,” Chien said.
“Instead of just talking about supply-side solutions, Taiwan should take a more holistic view and discuss how we can use energy more effectively,” Chien added.
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