The Executive Yuan launched its green energy technology park project in the Shalun area of southern Taiwan’s Tainan City Nov. 6 as part of the government’s “5+2 innovative industries” initiative, a comprehensive economic revitalization program targeting emerging and high-growth sectors.
Premier Lin Chuan hosted the ceremony, while Science and Technology Minister Yang Hung-duen and Tainan Mayor William Lai were among the dignitaries in attendance.
“Developing Taiwan’s innovative green industry is an important policy for the Tsai administration,” Lin said, adding that the development of Shalun’s green industry is designed to cultivate the green technology industry for the next generation.
Established as a base for sustainable development, the government expects the park’s industry cluster effect to spearhead advances in renewable energy technologies. “We envision the tech park to turn Shalun into a smart urban area characterized by such applications as wirelessly charged electric buses, vehicle-mounted solar panels, green buildings and so on,” Lin said.
The green tech park will be built next to the Taiwan High Speed Rail Tainan Station, with the core area of the site spanning 22.77 hectares. The two primary components of the park will be renewable energy R&D centers and testing sites.
Research activities at the park will focus on the development of solar, biomass and offshore wind power technology; energy storage devices such as lithium batteries and fuel cells; energy conservation technologies for electric vehicles and green buildings; and system integration technologies. The testing sites will facilitate prototyping, application testing and system verifications.
Another vital goal of the project involves government efforts to rebalance regional development between the north and the south as well as shrink the gap between urban and rural areas, Lin said. “The government is working toward turning Tainan City into a hub for green technology and talent.”
Also speaking at the ceremony, Lai assured that the Shalun development area will be subjected to environmental evaluation before any related operations commence. “The development must conform to our nation’s sustainable development ideals,” he said.
The park is also expected to help the nation achieve its goal of generating 20 percent of its power via renewable sources by 2025. The government plans to increase the nation’s solar power capacity to 1,520 megawatt-hours by 2018; and the nation’s wind power capacity to 4.2 gigawatt-hours by 2025.
“Taiwan’s 2025 renewable energy target also includes ensuring that the development of the green industry is safe, efficient and sustainable,” Yang said. Regarding climate change, he said that “Taiwan’s green industry development can contribute greatly toward global efforts to reduce carbon emissions.”
The government’s efforts are in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, a landmark climate accord concluded last December in the French capital at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. Although not a signatory to the UNFCCC, Taiwan has been taking part in peripheral events of the agency’s sessions as a nongovernmental organization observer since 1995 through the Industrial Technology Research Institute. (KWS-E)
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