Idled nuclear reactors are being restarted, but policy uncertainty and capacity limitations continue to trouble Taiwan’s power sector. After sitting idle since November 30 last year, reactor 1 at Kuosheng Nuclear Power Plant 2 (NPP 2) has resumed operations this week in time to meet summer peak demand. As of publication the reactor was running…
The Jinshan reactor 2 goes offline with a transmission line collapse. The last remaining operational nuclear reactor in Northern Taiwan – Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant (NPP 1) reactor 2 – was automatically shut down after one of the main transmission line towers at the plant collapsed during torrential rains on June 3. Taiwan Power Co….
A transition toward renewable energy is necessary, but its success will require careful government management. Taiwan has a clear need to diversify its energy portfolio and make concrete progress towards a more robust energy security policy. A full 98% of Taiwan’s energy is imported, costing the equivalent of nearly 15% of the entire Gross Domestic Product…
AR and VR technologies are being lauded as the fourth wave of personal computing, but will scarce content and even scarcer components limit growth? Not long ago, most high-end televisions included the latest feature in personal entertainment: 3D capability. Spurred by the success of 3D movies such as Avatar, the technology purported to offer…
This is the final article in a series published to mark Taipei’s designation as the 2016 World Design Capital. Charin Yeh got her start creating clothes for her family out of leftover rice bags from mills near her house. When an army unit was stationed in her village, she upgraded to reusing the fabrics they…
An international tribunal’s recent ruling on the South China Sea leaves Taiwan in a sensitive position. In September last year, President Tsai Ing-wen, then the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate, told a diplomatic reception: “A future DPP administration will be committed to following…the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)…
In the latest of a series of articles in TOPICS this year reflecting Taipei’s selection as the 2016 World Design Capital, six leading practitioners reflect on the role of designers and the state of the profession in Taiwan. By Samantha Kong & Nina Sheridan Ray Chen – Interior Design Ray Chen has gained a reputation…
This is Part 5 of the Special Report on Public Safety: Links to Part 1, Part2, Part 3,Part 4, Part 5 Taiwan society has changed, and the gangsters have either disappeared or become more sophisticated, depending on who you ask. Over the decades, media reports in Taiwan have depicted highly efficient and ruthless underworld organizations with exotic…
This is Part 4 of the Special Report on Public Safety: Links to Part 1, Part2, Part 3, Part 5 In recent years, Taiwan has made many efforts to gain membership in the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), including presenting numerous petitions to allow it to at least gain observer status. The U.S. government has joined Taiwan…
This is Part 2 of the Special Report on Public Safety: Links to Part 1, Part 3,Part 4, Part 5 Taiwan is cheered by locals and foreign residents alike for its safe living environment. Violent crime is relatively rare. It’s even fine to take a walk in downtown Taipei’s largest green space – Daan Forest Park –…
