The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) held a forum on Monday to discuss smart grid implementation strategies, as well as the establishment of related infrastructures and technologies.
The forum, drawing participation of over 100 professionals, covers three major topics including the overall development of a digitally enabled power grid, technology development and industry development, said Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Hwang Jung-chiou.
“Taiwan has done a lot of good work on the development of individual industries in the past rather than system integration. A smart grid is an example of system integration,” Hwang said during his opening remarks at the forum.
“However, I believe Taiwan’s long-term experience in the ICT industry is a solid foundation for developing the smart grid industry,” he said.
The “smart grid” is a digitally enabled power grid that can deliver electricity by using two-way communication, which will improve the efficiency, quality and reliability of the power supply system, according to the MOEA’s Bureau of Energy.
The bureau said the government plans to invest an additional NT$139.9 billion (US$4.6 billion) in smart power grid infrastructure beginning in 2012, including NT$123.7 billion for the improvement of power grid efficiency, NT$10.1 billion for the promotion of smart grid industry, and NT$6.1 billion for technological research and development.
The project aims to reduce power outage time by 610,000 hours by 2030 and decrease carbon emissions by 146 million tons per year, the bureau said.
It will also create output value of NT$1 trillion in the smart grid industry by 2030, making Taiwan an output country of the global smart grid industry and equipment manufacturer, according to the bureau.
In addition, the government is currently running an advanced metering infrastructure initiative, which is scheduled to be completed for 50 percent of Taiwan’s electricity users by 2020 and nearly 100 percent by 2030, said the bureau.
