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SECTION FOUR • Investment Ties
Renewable Energy in Taiwan
1. Policy Objective: Win-Win-Win Solution for Energy,
Environment and Economy
Sustainable energy development should balance the objectives
of energy security, economic development and environment
protection, and consider the need of future generations.
Taiwan is insufficient in natural resources, and constrained
by limited environment carrying capacity. In order to create a
win-win-win solution in energy, environment, and economy,
sustainable energy policies should support the efficient
use of limited energy resources, the development of clean
energy, and the security of energy supply. Our targets are:
(1) Improving energy efficiency: The goal is
to improve energy efficiency by more than
2% per annum, so that when compared with
the level in 2005, energy intensity will decrease
20% by 2015. Supplemented by further
technological breakthroughs and proper
administrative measures, energy intensity will
decrease 50% by 2025.
(2) Developing clean energy:
a. Reduce nationwide CO2 emission,
so that total emission could return to its
2008 level between 2016 ~ 2020, and
further reduced to the 2000 level in 2025.
b. Increase the share of low carbon energy
in electricity generation systems from the
current 40% to 55% in 2025.
(3) Securing stable energy supply: Build a
secure energy supply system to meet economic
development goals, such as 6% annual
economic growth rate from 2008 to 2012,
and 30,000 USD per capita income by 2015.
2. Policy Principles
The basic principles of a sustainable energy policy is to
establish a high efficiency, high value-added, low emission,
and low dependency energy consumption and supply
system.
(1) High efficiency: improve energy consumption
and transformation efficiency.
(2) High value-added: increase the value-added
of energy consumption.
(3) Low emission: adopt energy supply methods and
consumption practices that ensure low carbon
and low pollution.
(4) Low dependence: decrease the dependence on
fossil fuels and imported energy.
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Taiwan relies on imports for more than 98% of its energy,
which is of great concern to the Taiwanese government as
they are dependent upon foreign oil. As the geopolitical
scene in the Middle East becomes ever more complicated
and unstable, nations like Taiwan have sought other
alternatives such as renewable energy. With 3.76 GW of
total installed capacity at the end of 2013, renewable energy
accounts for about nine percent of Taiwan’s current energy
production. In 2009, the Taiwanese government passed the
Renewable Energy Development Act (REDA) with the goal
to expand the installed renewable energy capacity to 9.95
GW by 2030, roughly tripling its renewable energy capacity
over the next 20 years. Under REDA, feed-in tariffs apply
to solar, onshore wind, offshore wind, biomass and hydro
(these typically guarantee that customers who own a feedin
tariff-eligible renewable electricity generation facility, will
receive a set price from their utility for all of the electricity
they generate and provide to the grid).
Since 2009, Taiwan’s government has pledged to invest
$1.4 billion in their renewable energy sector by 2015 in
order to become a global leader in this field. President Ma
has made it clear that Taiwan must determine its energy
options, and that the Taiwanese people are committed to
the development of renewable energy and new energy
resources.
Currently in Taiwan, wind and solar energy are the main
sources of renewable energy. Taiwan has an abundance of
wind power resources with an onshore wind farm capacity
of roughly 30% and with an offshore wind farm capacity
of roughly 35%. The total installed onshore wind capacity
is 530 MW. On the solar side, Taiwan opened the National
Stadium in Zuoying District, Kaohsiung, which acts as a
photovoltaic (PV) power station. It has over 140 solar panels
with an installed capacity of 1 MW. In total, Taiwan had a solar
power capacity factor of 14% (meaning 14% of all electricity
was supported by solar) in 2013. Another key project will
see its first phase completed by the end of 2014 with a total
capacity of 20 MW, capable of producing 25 GWh per year.
Over the longer term, the Taiwanese government plans to
make solar capacity become 4,500 MW by 2020 and have
7.5 million residents using solar energy by 2030. On the
production side, Taiwan is the second largest PV producer
in the world.
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