Taiwan, which relies heavily on fossil fuels, is an ideal place for the promotion of renewable energy because of its abundant resources, and Germany's experience might be useful, Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said yesterday.
The symposium entitled "Energy for the Future" was held yesterday in Taipei with both Taiwanese and German experts taking part.
Before giving a speech at the opening ceremony, Lu took a ride in a German-designed zero-emission vehicle powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Fuel cells have been used on spacecraft for many years to power electrical equipment.
In her speech, Lu said that government and business, should work to make such low-emission vehicles available to the public as soon as possible.
"Most of you must have been surprised by the performance of fuel cell or solar energy displayed outside the conference room," Lu said during her speech. "Such application of energy technologies in the sector of transportation will not only mitigate air pollution, but also lift the dependence on imported oil."
Lu also said that environmentally-friendly industries will receive priority from the government in development funding. To promote environmentally-friendly technology, abundant financial support will be available for carrying out a well-designed scheme and integrating government agencies, business and research organizations.
Lu said that Taiwan, which imports more than 97 percent of its energy needs, faces challenges related to the high price of oil, and moves should be made to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.
"Taiwan fortunately is full of sunshine throughout the year. In addition, the sea, wind and geothermal energy makes the country an ideal place for the use of renewable energy."
In order to form legal bases for the promotion of renewable energy, several laws have been drafted, Lu said.
"The government aims to turn Taiwan into a nuclear-free country. Since 2003, NT$3 billion has been given yearly for renewable energy development. We hope to see applications in our daily life soon," Lu said.
Lu also said that Germany is a good example for Taiwan to emulate because it has used renewable energy for more two decades and its wind power capacity is the best in the world.
The vice president also said that Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Mei-yueh (何美玥), last year visited Germany to discuss environmental issues with German Economics and Labor Minister Wolfgang Clement.
"Both sides reached an agreement to work on future collaboration of energy-related issues, such as increasing energy efficiency and promoting renewable energy," Lu said.
Lu also said that Taiwan is eager to share responsibility for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the Cabinet has set the stage for a "nuclear-free homeland" policy, which implies that nuclear energy would not be regarded as an alternative for emissions reduction.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
The Grand Hotel Taipei has rejected media reports claiming that the hotel had prevented CBS from broadcasting coverage of the Beijing summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on its premises. Media reports alleging that the hotel owner, dissatisfied with CBS’s coverage, prohibited the network from broadcasting political content on the hotel premises, are not true, the hotel said in a statement issued last night. The reports were “inconsistent with how the hotel actually handled the matter,” it said. The hotel said it received a refund request from a
RSS