Approved purchases of solar photovoltaic power generated by the private sector are on track to hit the government’s 64-megawatt target this year, the Bureau of Energy under the Ministry of Economic Affairs said Oct. 17.
As of Oct. 15, the BOE had greenlighted 452 applications for private individuals and organizations to set up solar power facilities, supplying an estimated 69 MW worth of energy.
These applicants next have to pass a power line inspection before they can sign feed-in-tariff contracts with the state-run Taiwan Power Co. to sell their generated energy, a BOE official said. The examination usually takes 15 to 25 workdays.
Under the agreement, Taipower will buy solar power at a fixed price of NT$11 (US$0.36) to NT$13 per kilowatt over the next 20 years on the condition that the sellers had not received other subsidies from the BOE to build solar power facilities.
Taipower has signed 73 FIT contracts for 4.233 MW of solar power this year. The BOE said it will fast track the progress of the remaining applications to achieve its annual purchase goal.
While the BOE is scheduled to unveil 2011 purchase rates for renewable energy by the end of this year, analysts believe the bureau is likely to set new purchase prices lower than current levels to reflect the shrinking costs of solar energy.
