Renewable energy has been in the spotlight this week with the third National Energy Conference taking place in Taipei.
The conference began two days after German wind turbine maker InfraVest Wind Power Group threatened to withdraw from the local market if state-run energy monopoly Taipower refused to raise the tariffs it pays for electricity generated by InfraVest’s turbines.
It was an announcement clearly intended to underline Taiwan’s lack of action on renewable energy ahead of the conference.
InfraVest also implored the government to speed up passage of the proposed statute on promoting renewable energy, a bill that has lain idle in the legislature since 2003.
It would be a severe blow to renewables in Taiwan if InfraVest pulled out of the market as German companies are world leaders in renewable energy generation.
If the government is serious about promoting renewable energy then it should be following the example of countries like Germany, whose Renewable Energy Sources Act came into effect on April 1, 2000.
The law stipulates payment for electricity from renewable energy fed into the grid. Electricity grid operators are obliged to accept all electricity generated and pay for it at stipulated rates.
Since the law passed, the share of renewable energy in total electricity consumption has risen rapidly, from 6.3 percent in 2000 to 14 percent in 2007, according to Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. It hopes to make that figure 45 percent by 2030.
The boom in the renewable sector has also seen the number of jobs increase from 160,000 in 2004 to around 235,000 in 2006.
Contrast that with Taiwan where, according to the Bureau of Energy, renewable energy this year will make up just 3.5 percent of total consumption, and it becomes clear that successive governments have been dragging their feet on this issue.
This is a shame, as Taiwan has great potential for renewable power sources such as solar, wind, tidal and geothermal. If properly harnessed, these sources could make up a good portion of Taiwan’s electricity needs.
With a bit of thought and long-term planning the government could create millions of mini power stations by implementing a similar law to harness solar panels placed on the roofs of households.
It could also develop somewhere like Penghu County into a renewable energy powerhouse, harnessing its wind and solar potential to supply power to Taiwan proper while also providing vital investment and jobs for locals. This kind of scheme would be much more beneficial to the islanders than casinos.
The best way to achieve this would be to deregulate the energy generation market and attract foreign expertise and investment. The problem, however, continues to be the government’s apparent reluctance to break Taipower’s monopoly in this market.
It is well and good for politicians to show up at the conference and make promises to pass the energy bill, but unless these promises are backed by action, companies like InfraVest will continue to suffer and Taiwan will remain a renewable energy backwater.
US President Donald Trump has gotten off to a head-spinning start in his foreign policy. He has pressured Denmark to cede Greenland to the United States, threatened to take over the Panama Canal, urged Canada to become the 51st US state, unilaterally renamed the Gulf of Mexico to “the Gulf of America” and announced plans for the United States to annex and administer Gaza. He has imposed and then suspended 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico for their roles in the flow of fentanyl into the United States, while at the same time increasing tariffs on China by 10
Trying to force a partnership between Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and Intel Corp would be a wildly complex ordeal. Already, the reported request from the Trump administration for TSMC to take a controlling stake in Intel’s US factories is facing valid questions about feasibility from all sides. Washington would likely not support a foreign company operating Intel’s domestic factories, Reuters reported — just look at how that is going over in the steel sector. Meanwhile, many in Taiwan are concerned about the company being forced to transfer its bleeding-edge tech capabilities and give up its strategic advantage. This is especially
US President Donald Trump last week announced plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on eight countries. As Taiwan, a key hub for semiconductor manufacturing, is among them, the policy would significantly affect the country. In response, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) dispatched two officials to the US for negotiations, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC) board of directors convened its first-ever meeting in the US. Those developments highlight how the US’ unstable trade policies are posing a growing threat to Taiwan. Can the US truly gain an advantage in chip manufacturing by reversing trade liberalization? Is it realistic to
Last week, 24 Republican representatives in the US Congress proposed a resolution calling for US President Donald Trump’s administration to abandon the US’ “one China” policy, calling it outdated, counterproductive and not reflective of reality, and to restore official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, enter bilateral free-trade agreement negotiations and support its entry into international organizations. That is an exciting and inspiring development. To help the US government and other nations further understand that Taiwan is not a part of China, that those “one China” policies are contrary to the fact that the two countries across the Taiwan Strait are independent and
RSS