"In the past, the strong northeast winter monsoon kept tourists from visiting Penghu, but in the future, this powerful wind will be appreciated as an asset given to Penghu's people by God," Vice Premier Jiang Yi-huah said during his Penghu tour today. The government hopes to harness wind power to make Penghu a world-class low-carbon community which could be promoted to the world, he said.
Jiang indicated that the government is planning to install 96-megawatt wind turbines on the islands, and invite the residents to invest and hold the shares. He further explained that the government would sell the generated electricity to Taiwan Power Company and share the profits with the residents-shareholders.
The project to make the Penghu archipelago low-carbon, initiated in 2011 and scheduled for completion in 2015, includes cultivating renewable energy sources and promoting energy conservation, green transportation, low-carbon architecture, environmental greening, resource recycling, low-carbon lifestyles and low-carbon education.
Jiang was briefed on the progress of this project at the county government building this morning. He then visited the National Penghu University of Science and Technology (NPU), where he listened to a report on the solar photovoltaic power generation system and small wind turbine test site, observed the application of renewable energy technology to aquaculture and inspected the R&D results of the wind turbine site. At the end of the tour, the vice premier inspected the progress of electric scooter development and the results of energy supplement measures, and he enjoyed a test ride on an electric scooter.
According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), after more than a year of effort, the project to make Penghu a world-leading low-carbon island chain is producing results:
●With subsidies from the MOEA, in 2011 the Public Buildings Photovoltaic Demonstration Program was passed to help the Penghu County Government set up 20 facilities with a solar power generation capacity of 1,541 kWp through subsidies amounting to NT$364.92 million (US$12.17 million).
●As of August 2012, subsidies had been granted for 4,000 energy-saving family electric appliances, and 54 households had installed a total of 268.46 square meters of solar water heater panels.
●A total of 1,310 LED streetlights had been installed as of the end of 2011, and 4,000 are expected to be installed by the end of 2012.
● As of mid-September 2012, 1,848 electric scooters were in use, and 551 sets of battery charging facilities were available at 71 locations.
●The area of afforestation has amounted to 15.98 hectares.
The government's target is for renewable energy to make up 56 percent of the total energy consumed on the islands by 2015.
To complement the government's efforts, NPU has established a low-carbon research center performing R&D, testing, promotion and educational training for wind and solar power systems. Over the past three years, with subsidies from the MOEA's Bureau of Energy, the university has installed solar panels totaling a power generation capacity of 174.54 kWp, reducing its annual electricity consumption by some 300,000 kilowatt-hours and annual carbon emissions by 184,472 kilograms. A low-carbon campus demonstration center to further develop Penghu's renewable energy and improve the area's economy by linking with the tourism industry is also planned.