State-run utility firm Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) has achieved CO2 emissions reduction by up to 900,000 tonnes a year over the last ten years through its wind power generated electricity.
Taipower’s 130 installed wind energy units generated 1.44 billion kWh of electricity to help offset emissions of CO2, the company says in a statement on Thursday.
The company plans to start work by 2011 on building a further 162 wind power generators which will have a total capacity of 826 million kWh of electricity annually and will cut CO2 emissions by 350,000 tonnes a year.
The newly proposed wind power generators of 289MW in capacity will need investment of NT$18.7bn, the company says.
The wind projects, to be carried out in phases, are scheduled to be completed in a lengthy 100-year timeframe.
“Considering the scarcity of land in Taiwan, good onshore wind sites have gradually been developed and used. Taipower is thus assessing the feasibility of offshore wind projects,” the company says.
In solar energy, Taipower is aiming to install 10MW capacity over the next 100 years to generate 12.5GW of clean energy and cut CO2 emissions by 5,400 tonnes annually.
In addition, Taipower is in the midst of negotiating with state-owned Taiwan Sugar Corp on leasing 21 hectares of land in Tainan County to develop a 5MW solar power station that could cut CO2 emissions by 4,678 tonnes a year.
The lack of natural resources in Taiwan means that the country has to reply on imports for 99% of its energy needs. Taipower says it is continually working on energy conservation and carbon reduction through developing renewable energy sources.
Taiwan passed the Renewable Energy Development Act in June 2009, designed to promote the use of renewable energy, boost energy diversification and reduce greenhouse gases, according to the Bureau of Energy.
The government wants renewable energy to account for 15% of the nation’s energy needs by 2025. This would provide 28.7 billion kWh of electricity.
