Eighteen months after construction begun, Taiwan’s largest solar plant has been connected to the grid. The 5.92MW system, located in Kaohsiung, is comprised of 16,000 panels, cost NT$640 million (US$20.9 million) to build and is being managed by the state-run Taiwan Power.

“Taiwan must move in the direction of utilizing renewable energy,” MOEA Minister Shih Yen-Shiang said at the inauguration ceremony. “Besides solar energy, the government is also committed to developing offshore wind power, geothermal energy and tidal energy.”

Taiwan Power had originally intended to use the site in Kaohsiung’s Yungan District for a coal ash dump. However, due to the high irradiance levels in the region and the insistence of several green energy groups, the company abandoned these plans in favour of solar.

The plant will help Taiwan Power achieve its aim of installing solar panels capable of generating 10MW of electricity by the end of the year.

By Chris Whitmore