Wushantou Reservoir’s (烏山頭水庫) floating solar panels have come under fire after reports suggested they were being cleaned with chemical agents that polluted the reservoir. The claims sound alarming, and yet they are entirely unfounded — a testament to the misinformation and disinformation surrounding Taiwan’s energy transition.
Solar panels neither contain liquid electrolytes that could leak, nor do they require chemicals for cleaning. Floating solar panels are typically cleaned with fresh water or the surrounding waters to remove debris and maintain efficiency. Chemical cleaning agents would corrode the panels’ modules and wiring, making such a practice neither technically nor economically viable.
Moreover, reservoirs routinely undergo water quality checks, the results of which are publicly available. Leveling accusations of pollution without any supporting evidence is not only misleading, but could even be defamation.
Floating solar farms are by no means unique to Taiwan. Examples of successful cases can be found worldwide, such as Dingzhang Reservoir in China’s Anhui Province, which has the world’s largest floating solar farm, while Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture and southern France have operated similar systems for years.
Far from harming water quality, studies show they can improve environmental outcomes. Research published in Nature Sustainability found that reservoirs with 30 percent of their surface area covered by solar panels experienced a 46 percent reduction in evaporation — helping conserve water and enhance overall efficiency.
Taiwan’s energy transition has increasingly been portrayed as damaging the environment and benefiting business and financial conglomerates. While the renewable energy sector might indeed have instances of corruption or improper intervention, such issues must be addressed separately from the technologies that underpin renewable energy development.
Some critics have deliberately conflated the two issues, using social media to manipulate public opinion so that people associate solar power with pollution and green energy with corruption. The incessant spread of disinformation has reached the point of eroding Taiwan’s social consensus on an energy transition.
From the US and Europe to Southeast Asia, reducing emissions and accelerating the transition to renewables have become baseline requirements for industrial and economic competitiveness. Should Taiwan succumb to politicized anti-green energy thinking, it risks undermining investor confidence and public trust in the project.
While continuing with the energy transition, the government should establish an official platform for sharing trustworthy information and dispelling misinformation in real time.
The government should also strengthen regional channels for communication and establish more effective feedback mechanisms. Only when local residents understand the tangible benefits of environmental protection — and are able to participate in its oversight — can misunderstandings and antagonization be eased.
The transition to renewable energy is not a trophy for a politician, but a collective social responsibility. Countering false narratives requires more than just rebuttal. It requires transparent governance and scientific evidence that let the facts speak for themselves.
There is a risk that misinformation would become a stumbling block for an energy transition, and for this, it is Taiwan that would pay the price.
Lin Ren-bin is an academic member of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union and an associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at Chinese Culture University.
Translated by Gilda Knox Streader
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