During the Double Ten National Day celebrations, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) condemned solar panels during his speech, referencing Wushantou Reservoir’s (烏山頭水庫) floating solar panels, saying they had negative environmental impacts. Truly, rumours strike faster than lightning whenever Han opens his mouth.
Taiwan’s reservoirs supply water to homes across the nation, and there is no “special pipe” for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The families of DPP officials drink the same water as everyone, and no one would choose to put their family’s health on the line.
Furthermore, using chemicals to clean floating solar panels is banned — only water is permitted. What businessperson would choose to use cleaning chemicals, which are expensive and more troublesome to use, when water is readily available? After all, nobody is in the business of making losses.
Solar panels only occupy about 1.3 percent of the Wushantou Reservoir’s surface area, and their materials have undergone assessments for impacts on water quality and its drinking grade.
Some people have said online that the water is murky and even cited doctors’ assessments. However, a glance at the monitoring data shows that the reservoir’s water is among the clearest and most stable in Taiwan. This is not to mention how solar panels reduce evaporation and algal growth through shading.
The system has room for improvement and some standards could be revised, a responsibility that falls on officials and representatives. Stirring up these issues for political hype is no different from the behavior one might expect from social media influencers. Systems could be reformed, but rumors would leave their mark.
After so much bad press, even the mention of solar panels raises people’s suspicions. They have been accused of taking up land, polluting the environment and damaging ecosystems, but the real issue is the overload and disarray of information.
When misinformation spreads faster than the public notices and is louder than experts, even good policies are dragged through the mud. Online media is focused on getting clicks for profit and stirring emotions for further reach.
As a consequence, we sometimes forget to ask whether the case we see in the headlines is genuinely problematic or if it is just being used.
Countries such as Japan, South Korea and France use floating solar panels with water cleaning systems and ecological buffer zones.
Power generation and environmental protection are balanced through functioning systems and institutions, not through slogans. Taiwan can do this, too. Our issue is that misguided rhetoric has taken up far too much space in public forums.
China’s model of covering entire lakes and mountain ranges with panels is a truly destructive approach; it has no proper systems or checks and balances in place.
There will always be those online who say, “If China is doing it, why can’t Taiwan?” However, when it comes to solar panels, our response should be that just because China dares, it does not mean that Taiwan should.
Chang Shang-yang is a farmer.
Translated by Gilda Knox Streader
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