Once called the “dark village,” the Smangus Tribe area in Hsinchu County has become a shining example of Taiwan’s illumination renovation, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said on Saturday.
Ahead of World Earth Day tomorrow, the Smangus demonstrated advanced illumination concepts and equipment such as LED lighting devices that are eco-friendly and conserve energy.
One of the last areas in Taiwan to be connected to electrical supplies, the Smangus village relied on standard fixtures that consumed a lot of energy and caused occasional blackouts.
The Bureau of Energy, Taiwan Power Co and the Industrial Technology Research Institute recently decided, however, to turn the remote village into a model for illumination, replacing the old devices with electricity-saving bulbs.
The heads of the tribe stressed that the renovation could improve both the stability of the electricity supply and energy conservation and said the change was in line with the philosophy of their ancestors, who lived in tune with nature.
The bureau noted that the new fixtures lowered electricity bills, and saved on the costs of building infrastructure for the neighborhood, while maintaining the original landscape by integrating the high-tech lighting with the natural environment.
Adopting similar energy-saving lighting devices around the country could potentially save between 30 percent and 80 percent of the 26 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity used for illumination annually, which represents about 12 percent of Taiwan’s total electricity consumption of 221.4 billion kilowatt-hours, the bureau said.
“The energy-saving lighting could also help reduce carbon dioxide emissions,” the bureau said.
To realize such savings, the ministry has worked to promote both the energy efficiency and standards for energy-saving products, while launching a green revolution in illumination this year, the bureau said.
These efforts include assisting local public and private organizations to replace incandescent lamps, which consume more energy, and promoting the use of energy-saving LED products.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS