Taiwan prison aims to jump-start island’s solar power dream

PINGTUNG, Taiwan: On Pingtung jail’s sunlit roof, prisoner no 24 has a view of a brighter future.

Ex- cop Chen, serving time for bribery, is learning how to install solar panels in a programme that’s part of Taiwan’s shimmering vision of a future without nuclear power.

The 48-year- old is working on a project that has seen the southern Taiwan prison become the first to send solar power into the island’s electricity grid.

“I should be out in two-three years,” said Chen, whose full name can’t be disclosed under prison rules, “this should help (in finding a future job).”

Things are looking up for Chen, selected for the solar team on good behaviour.

But with a capacity of 1.8 megawatts, enough to supply power to 639 average Taiwanese households for a year, the dropin-the- ocean Pingtung project highlights the towering scale of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s pledge to make the island nuclearfree by 2025.

Nuclear accounts for around 14 per cent of Taiwan’s total electricity generation.

Renewable sources, including solar, wind and hydro, together account for less than 5 per cent, leaving the 2025 goal of having renewables - primarily solar - account for a fifth of electricity generation by 2025 looking like a mirage.

At Pingtung prison, where temperatures outside can peak around 33 degrees Celsius in summer, the chief of project manager Taichung-based Lixma Tech Co said the arithmetic was simple: It’s not possible for renewables, dependent on weather conditions, to be a main supply source.

“Renewable energy can reduce and replace a lot of traditional power generation - coal or nuclear power - only during peak electricity consumption periods,” said Lixma’s Chief Executive, Thomas Hsu.

With plentiful sunshine at its disposal, Taiwan has certainly made progress in expanding solar energy in recent years.

From current capacity of about 1,061 megawatts, Taipei is targeting about double that amount by mid-2018, with other jails among those considering solar projects, Pingtung prison officials said.

But to match official government targets of having solar power account for 73 per cent of total renewable energy capacity by 2025, Taiwan would need nearly 20 times’ current solar power capacity within nine years - about 20,000 megawatts. — Reuters

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