Taiwan is harnessing its abundant solar resources to advance a green revolution, enhancing energy security and boosting economic growth. As the island phases out nuclear power and faces challenges in integrating solar energy with storage solutions, it is also tackling regulatory and land-use hurdles to expand its solar capacity.
Despite rising fuel costs and increased power demand, Taiwan’s electricity prices have remained unchanged for the past four years. With the budgets of state-run gas company CPC and electricity provider Taipower stretched thin, is it time to rethink subsidized power? Taiwan has some of the world’s lowest electricity prices. The question is why? With no…
After three island-wide blackouts in less than a year, concerns about Taiwan’s power generation capacity and grid resilience continue to grow. Last September, an article in Taiwan Business TOPICS posed the question of whether Taiwan is facing a looming power crunch. Just half a year later, the question has changed to “is Taiwan’s power crunch…
Three recent island-wide blackouts have laid bare the degree of strain put on Taiwan’s grid and the people keeping it running. As a result, Taipower now finds itself in a race against time and budget to ensure the grid’s future stability. The immediate cause of Taiwan’s latest major blackout is indisputable – in fact, it…
March Blackouts Raise Supply, Grid Concerns Taiwan experienced widespread blackouts on March 3, affecting over 5 million households around the island. Both human error and mechanical failures were at fault, according to Taiwan’s state-owned electricity monopoly Taipower. Although power was restored by the end of the day, the incident caused significant disruption to households and…
A weekly snapshot of Taiwan business news stories brought to you by CommonWealth and AmCham Taiwan’s TOPICS First Commercial Geothermal Plant Goes Online The Cingshuei Geothermal Power Plant, Taiwan’s first commercial geothermal power-producing facility, began operations on November 23. The plant’s most significant feature is its ability to produce a 24-hour supply of renewable energy….
Two questions appearing on the ballot for Taiwan’s December referendum are expected to put up major barriers to the island’s plans to transform its energy mix if they pass. On December 18, Taiwan citizens will be voting on four referendum proposals: one to ban pork containing ractopamine, one to combine future referendum votes with national…
Taiwan’s aspirations to become a regional leader in wind power have resulted in a booming industry on the island. The goal now is to create a robust domestic supply chain to help both international and local developers transform Taiwan into a hub for green energy. Yet morale has not always been so high. Lucas Lin,…
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…
The Taipower company is currently emphasizing the increased use of clean-burning natural gas (LNG), the reduced use of coal, and the development of green-energy resources. The company’s 2019 emission-reduction report card revealed that, in that year, Taipower had already achieved its original goal of halving its 2016 air pollution emission intensity by 2030. In consequence,…
