Fenglin become solar power hot sopt: Scholars Investigate environmental impact

Reporter Mong-Jing Hua/ Hualien/ 2023.03.05

In the past two years, Fenglin Township in Hualien has become a hot spot for ground-based solar photovoltaic development. The estimated area of photovoltaic projects under application and approved is over 2,000 hectares, which is almost one-fifth of the area of Fenglin Township. The College of Environment at National Dong Hwa University (NDHU) has applied for a plan from the National Science and Technology Council program to conduct at least three years of ground-based photovoltaic research, including a survey of basic environmental data before and after the establishment of the photovoltaic industry, socio-economic impacts, and the collection of residents' opinions. A discussion meeting was held in Fenglin Township yesterday, hoping to establish a communication platform to seek consensus.

Fenglin Township has a vast solar photovoltaic area. NDHU has launched a basic environmental survey to determine whether the development has impacted the surrounding ecological environment. (Photo by Meng-Jing Hua)

Over 2,000 hectares of land are to be developed, accounting for 20% of the total flat land area of the township.

Professor I-Fang Sun of NDHU believes that the government is promoting solar photovoltaics too quickly and hastily, and information is not open and transparent. The public also complains that they are unable to know the application status of businesses in the early stages of development. Since environmental impact assessments are not required, the impact of photovoltaics on forests, farmland and the environment is unclear, and the opinions from solar power businesses and residents who are concerned about development can not reach to a consensus.

Professor Hsing-Sheng Tai of NDHU pointed out that since August last year, they have been tracking three different land use types through automatic camera traps, recorders, thermometers, etc., and collecting basic ecological monitoring data over a long period of time, including nectar plant surveys, in areas with ground-based photovoltaic fields, non-photovoltaic uses that were later converted into photovoltaic plants, and areas that have maintained their original forests or farmland.

In terms of socio-economic surveys, the team also conducted face-to-face interviews with 18 stakeholders in ground-based photovoltaic systems in Fenglin Township and gained questionnaire results from 39 people. Many residents expressed concerns about the impact of photovoltaic panels on the environment and ecology.

Fenglin residents also expressed their concerns about the ground-based photovoltaic industry, believing that it would be unfair to have all the photovoltaic fields planted in Fenglin Town.

Wei-Jen Lai, director of the Hualien branch of the New Power Party, who attended the meeting, stated that the photovoltaic industry is overly concentrated in Fenglin Township. The National Property Administration alone has reached 29 photovoltaic project applications, covering over 1,200 hectares. Furthermore, Taiwan Sugar Corporation has two applications in Fenglin for 300 hectares of poorly forested land, which are being leased to photovoltaic companies. Furthermore, Taideng Green Power is developing 436 hectares of privately owned Mega Power land, along with 66 hectares in the first phase of Shengfeng. This brings the total area of ground-mounted photovoltaic power generation to over 2,000 hectares. However, Fenglin Township's plains and riverine areas total less than 10,000 hectares, meaning that over one-fifth of the land is being used for photovoltaic applications. He believes that while Fenglin Township has suitable conditions, the current development rate is indeed excessive and should be carefully evaluated and stopped.

Liberty Times Net:

Fenglin become solar power hot sopt: Scholars Investigate environmental impact

https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/Hualien/paper/1570386