Shalun Smart Green Energy Science City was launched Dec. 16 in southern Taiwan’s Tainan City as part of government efforts to build the country into one of Asia’s leading hubs for advanced renewable power R&D.
Operated by the Ministries of Economic Affairs and Science and Technology, the southern branch of Taipei City-based Academia Sinica and Tainan City Government, the 22-hectare site is situated next to Taiwan High Speed Rail’s Tainan Station. It is envisaged as a base for developing solar, biomass and wind power generation equipment, as well as energy storage devices and systems with industry and electric vehicle applications.
Other features of the city include demonstration, exhibition and testing facilities, a joint research center and circular economy residential park, currently under construction by locally based Taiwan Sugar Corp.
Vice President Chen Chien-jen said during the launch ceremony that renewable energy is a key component of the government’s five-plus-two innovative industries initiative. The success of this undertaking is illustrated by the realization of the city and its role in spurring the creation of startups and fast-tracking Taiwan’s clean energy industry, he added.
A key plank in the government’s national development strategy, the initiative targets the high-growth sectors of green energy, national defense, smart machinery and Internet of Things, as well as promotes the circular economy and a new paradigm for agricultural development.
Echoing Chen’s remarks, Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai said the city is the first of its kind in Taiwan to bring together researchers from Academia Sinica, as well as state-backed Industrial Technology Research Institute in northern Taiwan’s Hsinchu County and National Applied Research Laboratories in Taipei.
There is no question this collaboration will boost renewable technology innovation and take the country’s economic growth to new heights, Vice Premier Chen added.
Approved by the Cabinet in 2016, the city has attracted the interest of major industry players like Dyna Rechi Co. Ltd., Formosa Plastics Group, Hanbell Precise Machinery Co. Ltd., Motech Industries Inc. and SolarEdge Technologies (Taiwan) Co. Ltd. (YCH-E)
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