Pingtung County in southernmost Taiwan is establishing a model for sustainable agricultural development by fostering the construction of steel-reinforced solar-powered greenhouses, County Magistrate Pan Men-an said Oct. 5 at a forum titled “A New Era of Green Energy,” part of the 2016 Energy Vision Summit taking place in Taipei.
By examining the NT$1.2 billion (US$38.7 million) in damages that Taiwan’s agricultural sector suffered from Typhoons Meranti, Malakas and Megi in September, the county government found reinforced greenhouses in places such as Fangliao and Jiadong townships effectively protected the crops grown inside. The facilities are much like normal greenhouses, but are supported by steel beams while solar panels mounted on their roofs power atmospheric regulation and irrigation systems.
The facilities in Pingtung, which have now stood for more than five years, are only partially covered by solar panels, as at least 60 percent of the roofs’ surface must be free to admit natural light for the crops. In addition to the southern county, similar structures have also emerged in other agricultural areas of Taiwan, mostly in the central and southern regions.
Lu Tai-ying, director of the Pingtung County Government’s Environmental Protection Bureau, said the facilities combine state-of-the-art technologies to grow the best possible produce. “They help raise the value of agricultural products while boosting the income of farmers, who can sell the excess power generated by the solar panels,” Lu said. “Such technologies can help attract more young people back to their hometowns in farming communities.”
In the late 2000s, Pingtung launched the first local government program to help farmers establish solar facilities on farmland affected by typhoons or land subsidence. Now, this same technology is helping boost production as well. “We’re ready for a new era of green agriculture,” Pan said. (KTJ-E)
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