Academia Sinica and CSBC Corp, Taiwan yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation on marine energy technology development.
Academia Sinica is developing and manufacturing a 100 kilowatt (kW) ocean current turbine generator that it expects to test in waters off Taitung County later this year, Taiwan’s top research institution said.
The combination of its research capabilities and CSBC’s maritime engineering strengths would hopefully accelerate the testing and deployment process to capture the energy from the Kuroshio Current, which flows off Taitung County all year round, it added.
Photo courtesy of Academia Sinica
The current is the world’s second-largest ocean current, with a strong and stable flow that offers potential for generating energy, Academia Sinica president James Liao (廖俊智) said, adding that ocean currents can generate electricity throughout the year without fuel or emitting greenhouse gases and pollutants, and therefore have the potential to serve as a form of baseload power.
Taiwan has talked about exploring marine energy for many years, but progress has been halted due to difficulties in site selection, maritime engineering, turbine generator installation and cable transmission technologies, he said.
A site has finally been found off the coast of Chenggong Township (成功) in Taitung, and the institution has developed a 100kW current turbine generator with corrosion and pressure resistance characteristics equal to a submarine, Liao said.
As the largest shipbuilding company in Taiwan, CSBC is expected to contribute to the marine energy project through its skill in vessel building, maintenance and support for offshore wind power and related technologies, he added.
The company has engaged in green energy research and development, including the designing of oceanographic research vessels, environmentally friendly ships, smart energy and carbon reduction technologies, and energy storage systems, CSBC chairman Cheng Wen-lon (鄭文隆) said.
Taiwan’s passport ranked 34th in the world, with access to 141 visa-free destinations, according to the latest update to the Henley Passport Index released today. The index put together by Henley & Partners ranks 199 passports globally based on the number of destinations holders can access without a visa out of 227, and is updated monthly. The 141 visa-free destinations for Taiwanese passport holders are a slight decrease from last year, when holders had access to 145 destinations. Botswana and Columbia are among the countries that have recently ended visa-free status for Taiwanese after “bowing to pressure from the Chinese government,” the Ministry
Theaters and institutions in Taiwan have received 28 threatening e-mails, including bomb threats, since a documentary critical of China began being screened across the nation last month, the National Security Bureau said yesterday. The actions are part of China’s attempts to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty, it said. State Organs (國有器官) documents allegations that Chinese government officials engage in organ harvesting and other illegal activities. From last month to Friday last week, 28 incidents have been reported of theaters or institutions receiving threats, including bomb and shooting threats, if they did not stop showing the documentary, the bureau said. Although the threats were not carried out,
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to
‘GRAY ZONE’ TACTICS: China continues to build up its military capacity while regularly deploying jets and warships around Taiwan, with the latest balloon spotted on Sunday The US is drawing up contingency plans for military deployments in Japan and the Philippines in case of a Taiwan emergency, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported. They would be incorporated in a first joint operation plan to be formulated in December, Kyodo reported late on Sunday, citing sources familiar with Japan-US relations. A US Marine Corps regiment that possesses High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems — a light multiple rocket launcher — would be deployed along the Nansei Island chain stretching from Kyushu to Yonaguni near Taiwan, Kyodo said. According to US military guidelines for dispatching marines in small formations to several locations,
RSS