The offshore Penghu Islands are set to become a model for low carbon energy under a five-year, NT$8-billion (US$260.31 million) plan approved by the Cabinet-level Council for Economic Planning and Development Nov. 15.
An important feature of the bill is that it requires the government to build enough wind farms on Penghu to generate 96 megawatts of power, according to the CEPD.
“For more than six months a year, Penghu receives northeast seasonal winds travelling at an average speed of 9 meters per second,” the council said. “This makes the islands a perfect candidate for the development of world-class wind farms.”
Other measures in the plan include installing light-emitting-diode street lighting and promoting the use of electrical motorcycles by setting up charging stations around the Penghu Islands.
By 2015, according to the plan, 56 percent of Penghu’s energy needs will be met by renewable energy, and annual per capita emissions of carbon dioxide will drop to 2.1 metric tons, down from 5.4 metric tons in 2008.
Off the western coast of Taiwan, the Penghu Islands, also known as the Pescadores, consist of 90 small islands covering an area of 126 square kilometers, with a population of about 100,000.
