Yushan National Park is to upgrade solar power generation facilities at its mountain cabins to provide stable power supply that can last for up to 10 days even in cloudy conditions.
The Yushan National Park Headquarters yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding with Ta Tun Electric Wire and Cable Co (TEWC) on collaborating to upgrade the microgrid for mountain cabins.
National Park Service Director-General Wang Cheng-chi (王成機) at the signing ceremony said that the national park’s mountain cabins have long relied on solar energy for lighting, telecommunications and simple meal preparation.
Photo courtesy of the National Park Service
However, they are mostly located in remote areas, making it difficult to maintain or renew their solar equipment, he said.
Nearly 30 of the total 40 cabins at the national park are equipped with solar power systems, but the equipment’s efficiency has decreased with time, Wang said.
With advanced power grid technology, TEWC has become the first corporation to engage in a solar facility upgrade plan for mountain cabins, he said, adding the headquarters’ collaboration with TEWC would start with Walami Cabin (瓦拉米山屋) in Hualien County.
Upgraded solar systems are expected to boost the energy efficiency to at least three times higher than the original equipment, Wang said.
The construction is slated to begin on Aug. 5 and would be completed in five days.
Lin Mei-ling (林美伶), chief executive officer of Tun Green Power Co, an affiliate of TEWC, said the company’s solar energy storage equipment can store 10 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity.
She said that 1kWh is enough to fully charge 60 hikers’ mobile phones, or provide heat for making 60 bowls of instant noodles.
Such amounts of power are unlikely to be used up under regular circumstances, Lin said, adding the power would be enough for 10-day use even on sunshine-free, cloudy days.
The new equipment can be conveniently managed via mobile phones, and its solar panels would adopt an all-black design to blend seamlessly into the environment and minimize ecological impacts, she said.
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