Current Status and Planning of Solar Photovoltaic Installations in the East Rift Valley—Academic Interview

Date: 2020.10.13

Site: Energy Technology Center of NDHU

Respondent:

I-Hao Pai, Director of NDHU Energy Technology Center

Chu-Hsuan Lin, Director of NDHU Department of Opto Electronic Engineering

Since its establishment in 2009, the National Dong Hwa University (NDHU) Energy Technology Center (ETC) has been dedicated to the research and development of new energy technologies, the promotion and dissemination of energy education, and the cultivation of talent in the installation of solar photovoltaic systems in eastern Taiwan. This exchange and interview provided a deeper understanding of the technical aspects of photovoltaic panels and the opportunities and challenges of renewable energy development in eastern Taiwan. Furthermore, the center hopes to foster collaboration and joint research projects between the two sides.

Solar photovoltaic installations are categorized as rooftop or ground-mounted. In eastern Taiwan, many indigenous tribal houses lack licenses, and applying for licenses requires paying taxes, which many residents are reluctant to adopt. Therefore, rooftop solar photovoltaic installations are relatively difficult to develop in the Hualien and Taitung regions. Large-scale ground-mounted solar photovoltaic installations, even on state-owned forest land, can still raise concerns among nearby residents regarding heavy metal pollution, electromagnetic radiation, and the disposal of solar panels after 20 years of decommissioning. Regarding the issues of heavy metals and decommissioned solar panels, Director Pai stated that Taiwan's solar manufacturers primarily produce silicon cells, which use non-toxic materials. The public's concerns arise from the toxicity of CdTE (cadmium telluride) used in thin-film solar cells. Regarding the 20-year decommissioning of solar panels, while they ultimately need to be recycled, solar panel efficiency is currently guaranteed to decline by only 0.8% per year, meaning that even after 20 years, the panels will still generate over 80% of their electricity. This is a guarantee from every high-efficiency manufacturer, based on actual field data. Proper cleaning, maintenance, and monitoring can ensure or even extend the lifespan of solar panels.

Besides solar power, hydropower is also a promising option in the east, though it requires a large site for the plant. The energy center has proposed a hybrid power generation concept: building a large reservoir to pump water from the Pacific Ocean for nighttime pumped-storage power generation, which can also be used for marine aquaculture. Furthermore, the center is currently working on a biomass energy project that utilizes waste rice straw, gasifying it at high temperatures to convert it into combustible gas that can be used to generate electricity and dry rice. The residue, as biochar, can be returned to the soil.