Taiwan’s Nuclear Reversal
As AI-driven power demand rises and energy security concerns deepen, Taiwan is reconsidering nuclear power. But safety reviews, waste disposal, and political divisions could complicate plans to restart shuttered reactors.
Is Taiwan Ready for the Hydrogen Economy?
The government has yet to include hydrogen in its renewable energy policies, but the private sector is already investing in this fast-growing area. The Star of Hope ferry carries up to 90 passengers several times a day across Sun Moon Lake, a routine journey made exceptional by the boat’s drive system: electric motors powered by…
The Promise of Green Hydrogen
Although hydrogen gas emits only water, it does not naturally exist in its pure form and must be generated from another hydrogen-carrying source – usually methane (CH4) – through a process called steam-methane reforming. Cheap and well-established, this process is also highly polluting, generating 10 tons of greenhouse gases for every ton of hydrogen. Hydrogen…
Natural Gas Plays Outsized Role in Taiwan’s Energy Transition
With renewable energy projects likely to be delayed, Taiwan will be relying even more heavily than expected on natural gas. From its inception in 2016, Taiwan’s energy transition plan relied heavily on the use of natural gas. But with solar and offshore wind development facing possibly substantial delays, the importance of the natural gas portion…
Cultivating Talent for the Offshore Wind Era
A new, globally certified training center in Taichung is helping Taiwan develop specialized personnel and talent for its offshore wind industry. Taiwan’s shortage of qualified talent to work in the offshore wind business is among its chief challenges in developing the sector. Unlike many nations that have developed offshore wind, Taiwan has almost no marine…
Renewables Industry Faces Environmentalist Challenges
Environmental activists aim to ensure that Taiwan’s green energy revolution is truly environmentally sustainable. But will their efforts slow down Taiwan’s energy transition? The fishing industry is generally condemned by environmental organizations, and Greenpeace has often targeted Taiwan’s deep-sea fishing fleet for illegal and unsustainable practices. Yet in Yunlin County, local environmentalists have found common…
Offshore Wind Projects Face a Series of Challenges
The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down the development of offshore wind resources in 2020 due to disruptions in supply chains. Over the long-term, however, the government’s rigorous localization policy may present an even bigger impediment. Riding high on the inauguration of its first major offshore wind farm – the 128-megawatt (MW) Formosa 1, Phase 2…
Financing Offshore Wind Power
Most of the funding for this portion of Taiwan’s energy development is coming from international banks, with much of it guaranteed by foreign export credit agencies. Taiwan’s ambitious program to promote offshore wind power as a major energy source – installing over 700 turbines in the Taiwan Strait by 2025 – will require an estimated…
Searching for a Permanent Storage Solution
Permanent storage in deep geological repositories is the current international standard for final disposal of nuclear waste, but in practice this solution has so far proven extremely difficult to accomplish. The U.S. government has de-funded its deep geological repository at Yucca Mountain, and most nations have yet to begin development of similar facilities. Finland is…
End of One Era, Start of Another
Decommissioning will keep Taiwan’s nuclear sector busy for decades and potentially offer global opportunities. When unit 2 at the Maanshan nuclear power plant near the southern tip of Taiwan reaches the end of its license on May 17, 2025, all nuclear power generation on Taiwan will cease. At the peak, the six operating reactors had…