The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) yesterday said that solar panels would soon be installed on the top of its depot in Chaozhou (潮州) in Pingtung County, in accordance with the government’s goal of having 1 million “sunny rooftops” across the nation.
The national railway operator said that it would hold a two-stage public auction to find a contractor for the project, adding that the first stage of the auction would be held on Aug 28 to review the qualifications of interested bidders.
The TRA would provide the rooftops and the contractor would be in charge of construction, operation and maintenance of the solar energy system, the operator said.
The TRA would receive a certain percentage of the profits after the contractor sells the energy generated to Taiwan Power Co.
The TRA estimated that the solar power system could generate at least 5 million kilowatt-hours per year on average and help reduce the nation’s carbon emissions by about 2,645 tonnes per year.
It would also help generate revenue of at least NT$36 million (US$1.2 million) over the next 20 years.
The Taoyuan Metro Corp (桃園捷運) said that it would introduce a new combination pass on Thursday, allowing people who want to watch Summer Universiade games to transfer from the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Access MRT System to the Taipei MRT System.
The Universiade is to open on Saturday next week.
Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), Taoyuan Metro Corp chairman Liu Kun-i (劉坤億) and company president Chen Kai-ling (陳凱凌) yesterday participated in a torch-passing event in Taoyuan.
Chen said there are 21 stations on the airport MRT line.
People can access the Taipei MRT System by transferring at Taipei Main Station (A1) or Sanchung Station (A2), which leads to the venues in Taipei.
People can access the venues where archery, swimming and water polo events are to be held by taking the airport MRT system to National Taiwan Sport University Station (A7), Chen added.
Delegations can reach the Athletes’ Village by disembarking at Linkou Station (A9), which is near the village, Chen said.
Passengers using the airport line can also visit the shopping areas and scenic attractions near the airport MRT stations, he added.
In addition to the new combination pass, people can also buy one-day passes, he said.
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
A Vietnamese migrant worker on Thursday won the NT$12 million (US$383,590) jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket she bought from a lottery shop in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The lottery winner, who is in her 30s and married, said she would continue to work in Taiwan and send her winnings to her family in Vietnam to improve their life. More Taiwanese and migrant workers have flocked to the lottery shop on Sec 2 of Jhangshuei Road (彰水路) to share in the luck. The shop owner, surnamed Chen (陳), said that his shop has been open for just
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
MUST REMAIN FREE: A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would lead to a global conflict, and if the nation blows up, the world’s factories would fall in a week, a minister said Taiwan is like Prague in 1938 facing Adolf Hitler; only if Taiwan remains free and democratic would the world be safe, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The ministry on Saturday said Corriere della Sera is one of Italy’s oldest and most read newspapers, frequently covers European economic and political issues, and that Wu agreed to an interview with the paper’s senior political analyst Massimo Franco in Taipei on Jan. 3. The interview was published on Jan. 26 with the title “Taiwan like Prague in 1938 with Hitler,” the ministry