A natural advantage

At the Sustainable Transformation Summit, Dr. Tsai Ling-yi, director of environmental sanitation and toxic substance management at the Environmental Protection Administration, noted that some 90% of Taiwan’s carbon emissions come from fuel combustion. With regard to energy transition, Taiwan is keeping pace with international trends by beginning to ­invest in hydrogen ­energy and carbon capture technologies. It is also targeting two areas of energy generation where the island has a particular natural advantage, by pursuing R&D in offshore wind power and geothermal power.

According to a study by international offshore renewable energy intelligence company 4C Offshore, 16 of the world’s 20 best potential sites for offshore wind farms are located in the Taiwan Strait. The wind channel created by Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range and the Wuyi Mountains of China’s Fujian Province, coupled with the strong northeasterly monsoon, makes Taiwan’s west coast a rich source of wind energy, with the winds in the seas off Changhua County particularly powerful.

In the past, offshore wind power construction in Taiwan was dominated by foreign vendors, but in recent years there have been moves to localize production, with homegrown companies like Swancore Renewable Energy, J&V Energy Technology, Yeong Guan Energy Technology, and Tien Li Offshore Wind Technology launching joint ventures with suppliers and forming the “Offshore Wind Power Taiwan Team.” Dedicated to developing a domestic industrial value chain, the team hopes the relevant technologies will take root here.

In this year’s Taiwan Sustainability Action Awards (TSAA), in the “Affordable and Clean Energy” SDG category the Taiwan Power Company (TaiPower) received a Silver Award for its Offshore Wind Farm Project Phase 1. Tai­Power has built 21 wind turbines in the waters off Chang­hua, which are capable of producing an average of 360 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity a year, or enough to power about 90,000 households. During construction, Tai­Power used bubble curtains to absorb noise from the project and consulted with fishermen and with dolphin and whale watchers to put in place ecologically friendly measures for the creatures. To avoid affecting the nearby oyster harvest, the team changed its approach to drilling and excavation work and avoided the coastal oyster beds, thus reducing the ecological impact.

The Hsinchu Living Museum project is located in one of the few remaining historic military-industrial sites in Taiwan, with bullet marks from World War II still visible on the 60-meter-high chimney. The photo at right shows the interactive theater that tells the history of the area. (courtesy of NYCU Sixth Fuel Factory Project Team)

Bringing sustainability to the campus

Looking closer at the expo booths, it is clear that universities have achieved no less in their sustainable development efforts than government and businesses. In fact, because schools are likely to be more connected to local communities, they can serve the elderly in the community and help to promote regional revitalization and environmental sustainability. For example, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU), which won a Gold Award in the “Sustainable Cities and Communities” category, has launched the Hsinchu Living Museum, which will be based in the former Sixth Fuel Factory of the Imperial Japanese Navy, maintaining the historical traces of industry under Japanese rule alongside the later military dependents’ village buildings that populated the site, while helping visitors understand the past through videos, interactive theater, and virtual reality tours.

In the field of sustainable energy, many universities have set up sustainable development centers that integrate the UN SDGs into school operations through initiatives like green buildings and carbon neutrality.

In addition to promoting the wellbeing of Taiwan, professors from National Taiwan University’s College of ­Science, College of Engineering, and College of Bio­resources and Agriculture have worked with the Delta Electronics Foundation to help Tuvalu, one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, address its environmental problems. Development of low-energy modular water recycling systems, hydroponic vegetable farming systems, and water quality and climate sensing systems can all help the Pacific island nation deal with fundamental issues around its drinking water, food, and sanitation needs.

This student dormitory at China Medical University’s Shuinan campus has been certified by the Low Carbon Building Alliance. (courtesy of China Medical University)

National Cheng Kung University has built Taiwan’s first “carbon-negative pilot factory.” (courtesy of NCKU News Center)

Dr. Eugene Chien, chair of the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy, is a powerful advocate for Taiwan’s work to link up with the world on the sustainability front. (courtesy of APFES)

Toward net zero together

In his book How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, Bill Gates says: “The countries that build great zero-carbon companies and industries will be the ones that lead the global economy in the coming decades.” Many Taiwanese enterprises are working with academia to develop low-carbon technologies, such as National Cheng Kung University’s successful creation of Taiwan’s first carbon-negative pilot factory. The carbon-negative technology converts the carbon dioxide (CO2) in flue gas into methane, ethane, and propane, with the methane in particular being useful in making Taiwan more self-sufficient in energy. Meanwhile the ethane and propane can be transformed into primary feedstocks for the petrochemical industry, subverting the traditionally energy-intensive nature and high carbon emissions of that sector. Professor Chen Chuh-yung of NCKU’s Department of Chemical Engineering notes that some 15 international certifications have been granted for various core technologies such as CO2 capture and puri­fication, regeneration of CO2 absorber, and hydrogenation catalysts, showing that Taiwan’s carbon-negative technology is on par with the rest of the international community. In the future, such technologies will be extended to all of Taiwan’s biggest carbon emitters, including CPC Corporation, Taiwan Steel Group, TaiPower, and Formosa Plastics Group.

Another of the TSAA gold winners, this time in the “Affordable Energy” category, was Taiwan Sugar Corporation, a state-owned enterprise, for constructing solar power installations on idle land and on stormwater retention ponds. Once completed, this project is expected to boost Tai­sugar’s green power generation capacity by some 700 million kWh per year, a significant contribution to reaching carbon ­neutrality.

Another SDG focuses on innovative industrial infrastructure, and one of the gold medalists in this category was Hon Hai Precision Industry, for its massive investment in electric vehicle R&D in recent years. In 2020, Hon Hai established the Mobility in Harmony (MIH) Open Electric Vehicle Alliance to promote cross-sector cooperation so as to shorten development cycles and accelerate innovation. So far, more than 2,200 vendors from at home and abroad have joined the alliance. After less than two years, the Hon Hai–­Yulon Motor joint venture Foxtron has already launched pre-orders for its newly developed Model C electric SUV.

Taiwan has an excellent foundation in the ICT and semiconductor industries thanks to companies like TSMC, ASE, AU Optronics, and Tong Hsing Electronic, many of which are world leaders in their respective fields. Bringing these companies together to harness this expertise will drive the electric vehicle revolution in Taiwan.

On Earth Day (April 22) last year, President Tsai Ing-wen announced Taiwan’s goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. In March 2022 the Executive Yuan announced “Taiwan’s Pathway to Net-Zero Emissions in 2050,” a road map for achieving this, focusing on the two main governance foundations of technology R&D and climate legislation, and proposing transition strategies for energy, industry, lifestyles, and society. The government has budgeted for investments of some NT$900 billion by 2030 to drive this net zero transformation. Moreover, the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy is continuing its advocacy work, encouraging universities and businesses to implement the UN’s 2030 SDGs. Already, Taiwan is making progress toward true sustainable development.

More and more Taiwanese enterprises are adopting sustainable thinking. For example, AU Optronics is introducing recycled materials and establishing platforms for carbon management and energy storage.

Taiwan’s Mobility in Harmony electric vehicle alliance brings together members from various fields to accelerate innovation.

Sustainable development requires the joint efforts of government, business, academia, and society if it is to truly succeed. (courtesy of APFES)