Taitung Railway Station has become the nation’s first railway station that can generate additional revenue by producing solar energy, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) said yesterday.
The agency said it had installed solar panels on the roofs of 12 buildings within the parameters of the Taitung Railway Station in accordance with the government’s policy to develop green energy, conserve electricity and reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Taitung has the unique advantage of developing solar energy as it has sufficient and unimpeded sunlight, the TRA said.
Photo provided by the Taiwan Railways Administration
In addition to roofs, solar power panels have been installed on shades over sidewalks, parking lots and taxi stops, it said.
The total area covered by solar panels at the station is 8,652m2, with a power-generating capacity of 1.51 megawatts, it said.
The production of green energy helped reduce carbon emissions by about 820,517kg per year, which is equivalent to the amount of carbon dioxide that can be absorbed by two Daan Forest Parks in Taipei, the TRA said.
It can generate an annual revenue of NT$870,000 per year by selling the green energy to the Taiwan Power Co, it added.
Taxi drivers and passengers accessing the train station benefit from solar panel-covered shades that shield them from rain or sunlight, it said.
The success of the Taitung Railway Station in producing solar energy has motivated the agency to install solar panels in other railway stations around the country, it said.
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