These are excerpts– to read the full articles please click on the link below
http://www.amcham.com.tw/content/view/2975/450/
Ambitious Goals for Carbon Reduction
President Ma has staked his political credibility on drastically cutting greenhouse gas emissions, but critics say his goals are unrealistic.
BY TIMOTHY FERRY
In the complex and contentious arena of climate change and carbon emissions, where even core data is often called into question, at least one thing is certain: Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou has staked his political credibility on fulfilling his campaign promise of shrinking Taiwan’s overall carbon footprint – by a lot – over the next decade. Then-candidate Ma vowed to reduce Taiwan’s emissions by 2016-2020 to 2008 levels (later cut back further to 2005 levels), and 2025 emissions to 2000 levels.
At the time, awareness of the seriousness of Taiwan’s emissions problem was growing. At 12 metric tons per year, this highly industrialized island is the heaviest carbon polluter in Asia on a per capita basis. And while Taiwan has the world’s 20th largest economy, it ranked 16th in 2007 in the amount of carbon generated – 308 million metric tons.
Environmental Protection Minister Stephen Shu-sheng Shen, who participated in creating Ma’s campaign platform while serving as environmental protection chief in the Taipei city government when Ma was mayor, recalls that during the presidential election campaign “both parties had to show their determination” to reduce carbon emissions because of the pressure coming from environmental non-government organizations.
After the election, though, the president might have been expected to back away from such an ambitious carbon agenda, especially in light of the deep recession and the devastation of Typhoon Morakot last August. Instead, Ma has repeated his vow in forum after forum, gaining plaudits from the environmental community. The German NGO, Germanwatch, for example, gave Taiwan high scores for its climate policies in 2009 in its “Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2010.”
Using the Wind in the Energy Mix
Offshore wind generators are considered the best prospect for renewable energy in Taiwan, but are investors getting enough incentives?
BY TIMOTHY FERRY
On the windswept coast of the Taiwan Strait off Changhua County, green-energy company Taiwan Generations Corp. has placed a wind monitor atop a 60-foot-high mast. This monitor has been measuring wind quality in the area for the past six years, as preliminary data-building for what is hoped will be Taiwan’s next frontier for renewable energy: offshore wind farms. But even as Taiwan has made significant strides in developing its renewable energy industry, including passage of the long-awaited Renewable Energy Development Act, red tape and low funding continue to hamper progress for many of Taiwan’s renewable-energy investors.
“You have this nice law that you can wave in front of the international community,” says Raoul Kubitschek, co-chair of the energy and environment committee of the European Chamber of Commerce and Trade (ECCT). “But the political will is still missing – a lot.”
President Ma Ying-jeou has made nurturing a local “green revolution” a center-point of his administration’s energy policy. The administration has announced a massive cash infusion of NT$33 billion (US$1 billion) to kick-start research and infrastructure development for the renewable energy sector.
Renewable energy comprises a key plank in the administration’s platform of reducing Taiwan’s carbon emissions by 2020 to 2005 levels, and 2025 carbon emissions to 2000 levels. Non-nuclear, carbon-free renewable energy is targeted to provide 8,450 megawatts of Taiwan’s installed capacity for power generation, 15% of the total, by 2025.
The Renewable Energy Development Act (REDA), passed by the Legislative Yuan in April 2009, empowers the government to develop renewable energy via a number of methods, including providing incentives for prototype projects, loosening regulatory restrictions, and offering renewable energy generators preferred access to the national grid. After six years of contentious debate, this milestone legislation, modeled on a precedent-setting German statute, provides the foundation for Taiwan to become a major destination for renewable energy investment and carbon reduction.
While some experts hail this legislation as a watershed development, others are more skeptical, arguing that the gap between words and deeds will need to be narrowed before the law can considered a success. Gloria Hsu, professor of atmospheric science at National Taiwan University, says of the REDA: “It’s a start, but not as far-reaching as we expected.” The reason? “The rates they pay for renewables are too low.”
timferrytaiwan 