Taiwan Increases Solar Energy Capacity Target By 30% (To 130 MW), While Further Decreasing Its Feed-In Tariffs

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Taiwan has increased its 2013 target for solar energy capacity by 30% to 130 MW. And it has also significantly decreased its feed-in tariffs for 2013 by between 9.23% and 11.88%.

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The Bureau of Energy said that the cuts were in response to the continually decreasing costs of solar panel module manufacturing.

“The Bureau has set the tariffs for the first half of next year at NT$8.4 (US$0.2887) per kWh for rooftop solar energy a capacity below 10kW, NT$7.54 (US$0.2591) for between 10kW and 100kW, NT$7.12 (US$0.2447) for 100kW to 500kW, NT$6.33 (US$0.2175) for 500kW and above and NT$5.98 (US$0.2055) for ground-based installations,” PV-Tech writes.

“The new tariffs for the first half of next year are still higher than the average cost of NT$2.47 (US$0.0849) per kWh generated by Taipower, Taiwan Cogeneration Corp and independent power producers (IPPs) using fossil fuels such as coal and oil.”

According to the Senior Specialist at the bureau’s energy technology division, Tseng-tsai, the increased solar capacity target will lead to increased research and development by manufacturers. And it should also lead to new job opportunities in the related industries of engineering, architecture, and steel.

“[T]his could increase the total solar panel production value from NT$11.6 billion (US$399 million) this year to NT$13.2 billion next year,” Tseng said.


 
“We forecast renewable energy companies will make higher profits next year compared with this year and there will be more firms entering the market, while expressing the hope that the nation’s photovoltaic exports would increase by 10 percent a year.”

Source: PV-Tech
Image Credits: Stadium in Taiwan via Wikimedia Commons


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James Ayre

James Ayre's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy.

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