Representatives of the green energy sector yesterday urged the government to accelerate the development of renewable energy sources after Taiwan became the first nuclear-free country in East Asia after shutting down its last nuclear reactor on Saturday.
The shutdown of the No. 2 reactor at Pingtung County’s Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant is the prelude to the “nuclear-free homeland” era, Democratic Progressive Party Legislators Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) told a news conference, attended by the Taiwan Renewable Energy Alliance (TRENA), along with representatives from green energy sectors.
Such an energy transition policy was carefully planned with safety, sustainability and global trends in mind, Lai said.
Photo courtesy of Lai Jui-lung’s office
The government continued to bolster the development of renewable energy by establishing the Renewable Energy Development Act (再生能源發展條例), following the legislation of the Basic Environment Act (環境基本法), he said.
The proportion of power generation from renewable sources rose to 14.6 percent in March from 4.8 percent in 2016, he said.
The installed capacity of renewable power generators amounted to 35 percent of the total installed capacity of all power generation facilities last year, which would provide stable electricity in place of nuclear power, he said.
The government would cooperate with industries and the public to achieve the goal of boosting the proportion of green power use to 30 percent by 2030, as well as lead Taiwan to a net zero emissions, sustainable future, Lai said.
Taiwan has become the fifth-largest offshore wind power-using country, and had the most newly constructed wind power facilities last year, TRENA vice chairwoman Chang Ya-tun (張雅惇) said.
PV Generation System Association vice chairman Huang Cheng-hung (黃正泓) said that solar power is the fastest-growing renewable energy source worldwide, with an additional capacity of 447 gigawatts (GW) last year, accounting for 75 percent of global green energy growth last year.
Geothermal energy is promising and competitive renewable energy, of which the commercialization costs are expected to be lower than fossil fuel power by 2030, Taiwan Geothermal Association executive director Wang Shou-cheng (王守誠) said.
The development of small hydropower units in agricultural irrigation facilities and water distribution systems should be accelerated in line with the RE100 renewable energy initiative, Taiwan SHP Industries Alliance chairman Hong Cheng-chung (洪正中) said.
Ocean Energy Taiwan chairman Chuang Min-chieh (莊閔傑) said that Taiwan is surrounded by the sea and has the potential to develop 28GW of ocean energy, equivalent to 10 nuclear power plants.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
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