 |
Tainan City has become a PV power vanguard in Taiwan, with installation capacity reaching 677 MW as of the end of Aug. and annual output expected at 870 million kWh, reported the Economic Development Bureau, Tainan City Government, crediting the achievement to the city government's vigorous effort since 2011, under the auspices of the "PV power city plan" and "autonomous statute on Tainan low-carbon city."
According to the autonomous statute, major power consumers with power consumption contract topping 800 KW in volume are required to install PV power devices with capacity equivalent to over 10% of the volume. Near 60% of factories and major power consumers in the city have complied with the requirement, with the total installation capacity expected to top 1 GW by 2021, according to mayor Li Meng-yen in a recent speech.
Tainan now boasts the largest floating PV power capacity in industrial zone, completed at the end of May, in Taiwan. Flood retention basins on the southern and northern sides of Liou-Ying Technology and Environment Industrial Park have been covered with PV power devices totaling 4.5 MW in capacity. Inside the industrial park, 7MW rooftop PV power device has been installed on the factory building of Jungsheng Mechanical Engineering, capable of generating 9 million kWh power a year, sufficient to meet the needs of 2,500 households and capable of cutting 4,500 tons of carbon emission annually.
In fact, entire Taiwan has been plagued by renewable-energy craze, thanks to "comprehensive participation in green-energy rooftop plan" launched the government in 2017. Tainan has been at the forefront of the movement, having connected its PV power devices to the grid starting July. Other municipalities with good performance in green power are New Taipei City, Pingtung County, and Taoyuan City, according to "Mom Loves Taiwan," a local environmental-protection organization.
PV power has become increasingly competitive in Tainan, thanks to its sunny weather and maturing technology, which drives down cost. The city now ranks 2nd place in installed PV power capacity among municipalities on the island.
(First photo courtesy of Economic Development Bureau, written by Daisy Chuang)
