The Rainbow Restaurant in Pingtung County used rooftop solar panels to generate an estimated 241.7 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of power during the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday, and the restaurant’s owner said that there is a good chance that the amount of electricity produced will rise until June.
Pingtung Environmental Protection Union Director-General Hung Hsiang-hui (洪祥輝) said he and other environmentalists set up the restaurant in December last year after investing about NT$1 million (US$31,946) to install the panels, which cover 115.7m2 and have a combined generation capacity of 15.12kW.
He said that thanks to the recent fair weather, the panels increased their output for five days in a row, peaking on Friday, when 84.8kWh of electricity was generated.
The amount of photovoltaic energy generated yesterday and on Saturday last week reached 75.2kWh and 81.7kWh respectively.
Data published by Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) showed that average monthly electricity consumption per household was 647kWh, 704kWh and 844kWh in April, May and June respectively last year.
The electricity generated over the five days powered five air conditioners, six refrigerators and two ovens during the day — covering about 70 percent of the restaurant’s energy consumption, he said.
Furthermore, power generation is expected to increase until June and peak on the summer solstice — which falls on June 22 this year — as the area receiving more direct sunlight gradually moves north from the equator to the Tropic of Cancer, Hung said.
Saying that the restaurant’s power generation method can be practiced by everyone, he urged the government to relax restrictions on the annual quota imposed on Taipower on the amount of renewable energy it is allowed to purchase from the private sector, which he said is much lower than the nation’s potential to harvest photovoltaic energy.
Taipower last year had a purchase limit of 280 megawatts, while the nation is able to harvest solar energy that equals the generation capacity of a nuclear power plant every year, he said.
In addition, the government should provide incentives to the banking sector, so that more capital would go toward the infrastructure for photovoltaic power generation.
By relaxing restrictions on the amount of renewable energy that Taipower is allowed to purchase and by working with banks, solar panels could be installed by more Taiwanese at more affordable prices, allowing an electricity wholesaling network, he said.
This network would help the public and banks profit, as surplus energy could be sold to Taipower, Hung said.
When residents have paid the cost for the solar panels and interest to the banks, they can start making money on their own by selling their surplus energy to Taipower, he said.
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