The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a four-year plan to offer subsidies of up to NT$300,000 (US$9,248) each to install rooftop solar panels on private residential buildings.
This comes as the Ministry of Economic Affairs moved back a target for solar photovoltaic (PV) installations to 2026.
Owners of buildings with roofs smaller than 1,000m2 and solar energy companies can apply for a subsidy of up to NT$3,000 per kilowatt (kW) of installed capacity, for a total of up to NT$300,000 per project.
Photo: Taipei Times
The program, which is to run from next year to 2028, is projected to cost NT$4.08 billion and increase rooftop power generation by 1.2 gigawatts (GW).
Taiwan has 13.82GW of PV installations, of which 8.76GW, or 63 percent, comes from rooftop solar power systems.
Most of the installations are on medium-sized or large buildings, meaning that small roofs would be the main driver of growth moving forward, Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Lien Ching-chang (連錦漳) said.
Compared with ground-mounted systems, rooftop solar is a more mature technology and is less controversial, the ministry said.
Previously, the economics ministry and the Ministry of the Interior discussed expanding PV installations to all new or renovated buildings with roofs larger than 1,000m2.
For smaller rooftops, the economics ministry has offered subsidies through feed-in-tariff (FIT) rates, which stand at NT$5.7 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), better than the rate for ground-based systems at NT$3.7 per kwH.
The economics ministry said it simplified the application process for households, so that when people register equipment, they can simultaneously apply for the subsidy.
There are five documents required: an application form, identification, equipment registration, a payment receipt and a bank account passbook photocopy, it said.
The economics ministry estimated that the program would attract 120,000 participants.
If they apply for about 10kW each, it would increase total rooftop capacity by 1.2GW, which translates to 1.5 billion kwH per year, it said.
The cost of rooftop solar panel installation is between NT$55,000 and NT$60,000 per kilowatt, Energy Administration Director-General Yu Cheng-wei (游振偉) told a news conference.
Some administrative regions already have PV subsidies in place, he said, adding that the economics ministry’s initiative is meant to support the common goal of achieving net zero emissions.
Last year, renewable energy sources accounted for 9.5 percent of Taiwan’s total electricity generation.
Solar energy accounted for about half of the energy generated from renewables, or between 4 and 5 percent of total electricity generation, economics ministry data showed.
Additional reporting by CNA
US president-elect Donald Trump said he would “never say” if Washington is committed to defending Taiwan from China, but “I would prefer that they do not do it [ an attack],” adding that he has a “good relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). “I never say because I have to negotiate things, right?” Trump said in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press host Kristen Welker after saying he would not reveal his incoming administration’s stance on Taiwan’s defense in the event of an attack. Asked the question again, Trump, in a reference to China, said: “I would prefer that they
CROSS-STRAIT TENSIONS: MOFA demanded Beijing stop its military intimidation and ‘irrational behavior’ that endanger peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region The Presidential Office yesterday called on China to stop all “provocative acts,” saying ongoing Chinese military activity in the nearby waters of Taiwan was a “blatant disruption” of the “status quo” of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Defense officials said they have detected Chinese ships since Monday, both off Taiwan and farther out along the first island chain. They described the formations as two walls designed to demonstrate that the waters belong to China. The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said it had detected 53 military aircraft operating around the nation over the past 24 hours, as well
TECHNICAL LEAD: The US needs to boost its missile technology and build a communications network able to withstand hackers, Admiral Samuel Paparo said US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said the US is confident it could defeat China in the Pacific, but that technical advantage is shrinking, the Washington Post reported yesterday. Speaking at the Reagan Defense Forum on Saturday, Paparo said the US needs to maintain its technical lead over China by enhancing missile technology and building a communications network able to withstand hackers, the paper reported. Although the US is able to hit long-distance and difficult targets with its advanced cruise missile system, each launch costs more than US$1 million, he said. By contrast, drones, which are relatively cheap to build and develop, can
‘LAGGING BEHIND’: The NATO secretary-general called on democratic allies to be ‘clear-eyed’ about Beijing’s military buildup, urging them to boost military spending NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte mentioning China’s bullying of Taiwan and its ambition to reshape the global order has significance during a time when authoritarian states are continuously increasing their aggression, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. In a speech at the Carnegie Europe think tank in Brussels on Thursday, Rutte said Beijing is bullying Taiwan and would start to “nibble” at Taiwan if Russia benefits from a post-invasion peace deal with Ukraine. He called on democratic allies to boost defense investments and also urged NATO members to increase defense spending in the face of growing military threats from Russia
RSS