Study shows Taiwan clean energy savings of up to NT$25B

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A recent Google-funded report claims Taiwan could save NT$25 billion (around US$833 million) annually while cutting 5 million tons of carbon emissions through strategic clean energy adoption. TransitionZero, a U.K. non-profit climate technology company, analyzed Taiwan's pathway to achieving 24/7 carbon-free electricity by 2030 for users representing 5% of national energy demand.

The Science Media Center Taiwan (台灣科技媒體中心) hosted a press conference Tuesday (Oct. 21) featuring researchers and local energy experts evaluating the report's applicability. TransitionZero's lead East Asia analyst Alex Luta criticized annual carbon-free electricity accounting methods, proposing "24/7 carbon-free electricity" as a superior auditing mechanism. Luta emphasized the report assumes industrial and commercial carbon-free electricity demand represents 5% of Taiwan's national power consumption.

The analysis identifies onshore wind, geothermal, and solar as crucial technologies for achieving 80% carbon-free electricity, requiring 6.2 GW of new capacity. This renewable energy expansion would cost less than current electricity prices but demands full utilization of Taiwan's existing clean energy resources. Achieving 100% carbon-free electricity would require 8.2 GW of new capacity, with offshore wind and storage increasing costs 3-5 times.

Taiwanese experts acknowledged the report's local data integration while cautioning about model limitations and practical feasibility concerns. Chen Yen-haw (陳彥豪) from the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (台灣經濟研究院) highlighted dual pressures facing businesses from international supply chain decarbonization demands and domestic climate legislation. These competing regulatory requirements create complex challenges for Taiwan's industrial sector.

Assistant Professor Hsin-Wei Hsu (徐昕煒) from National Taipei University of Technology (國立臺北科技大學) emphasized these models provide hypothetical scenarios for policy decision-making. He warned that assumption changes could significantly alter outcomes, citing demand, supply, and system variables as critical factors. Hsu identified Taiwan-specific challenges including geothermal development obstacles, onshore wind bottlenecks, and transmission imbalances in corporate power procurement. ◼ (At time of reporting, US$1 equals approximately NT$30)