Wind Power News: Taiwan
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Wind turbine troubles
A group of residents in Miaoli County have banded together to halt the construction of wind turbines close to their homes. But corporate interests are getting in the way “Where do you want to go?” the old taxi driver inquired as we approached his car outside the Yuanli (苑裡) train station in Miaoli County, a small stop reminiscent of train stations in an old Western movie. “Please take us seaside, where they are building the wind turbines,” we said. The . . . Complete story »
Wind power firm hires thugs to protect site
WHITE SHIRTS: A German firm is hiring muscle as security at a controversial construction site in Miaoli, but there is a problem: The guards are operating well beyond their authority. It became clear as the taxi entered the narrow road, hemmed in on both sides by lush rice fields, that we were not welcome there. The moment the cab driver brought his car to a halt and rolled down his window, a group of individuals who were sitting on rocks, . . . Complete story »
Residents rally against wind energy
Dozens of residents of Yuanli Township (苑裡), Miaoli County, yesterday rallied in front of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) against a wind turbine project they say is too close to their homes and violates the minimum distance required by the environmental impact assessment (EIA). Some held piglets, others were accompanied by dogs on leashes and some held white banners with messages such as “the low-frequency electromagnetic radiation and noise from the wind turbines damages health.” The protesters shouted. “EPA, toughen . . . Complete story »
Lawmaker leads charge against turbines
TAIPEI, Taiwan – Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) led protesters from Yuanli Village (苑裡鎮), Miaoli with a petition against the InfraVest Wind Power Group (英華威公司) during a press conference yesterday, calling for the Group’s wind turbine projects to be relocated due to safety concerns. The German wind power company is responsible for half of the wind turbines located on the island’s West Coast, having built approximately 170 turbines from Miaoli to Chunghua. In an environmental review released in . . . Complete story »
Hunger protest against wind turbines continues
Residents from Miaoli County’s Yuanli Township (苑裡), on the 11th day of a hunger strike, rallied yesterday outside the Executive Yuan, protesting against a project to build wind turbines near their homes. “I want to stress that we are not against green energy solutions. In fact, we fully support them,” said Chen Hui-ming (陳薈茗), a resident whose father coughed up blood 10 days into the hunger strike. “We are just asking the government and the building contractor to respect us . . . Complete story »
TWP requested to suspend Miaoli wind turbine project
The Bureau of Energy (BOE) earlier this week requested the UK’s Tongyuan Wind Power to suspend installing six wind turbines in Miaoli County after protests by local residents who said the company’s construction activities had severely affected their quality of life. The bureau yesterday said that more than 300 wind turbines have been installed on the west coast since 2000, but the latest incident is not the first time local residents have protested against power companies. However, the bureau said . . . Complete story »
Wind power project could damage ecology off Changhua
A proposed project to develop wind power off the coast of Changhua County will affect the habitat of the Chinese white dolphin and migratory birds, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said in an initial screening Friday. The developer, Fuhai Wind Power Co., noted that the government wants Taiwan’s carbon dioxide emission brought down to the level of 2005 by between 2016 and 2020, and hopes to install 600 offshore wind power generator units by 2030, generating 3,000 megawatts of electricity. . . . Complete story »
Wind farm ‘kills Taiwanese goats’
A large number of goats in Taiwan may have died of exhaustion because of noise from a wind farm. A farmer on an outlying island told the BBC he had lost more than 400 animals after eight giant wind turbines were installed close to his grazing land. The Council of Agriculture says it suspects that noise may have caused the goats’ demise through lack of sleep. The power company, Taipower, has offered to pay for part of the costs of . . . Complete story »
Taipower’s wind turbines dogged by malfunctions
HOT AIR: Taipower blamed Taiwan’s hot weather for the high rate of breakdowns, presenting a significant setback to the government’s renewable energy policy. Of the 82 wind turbines that make up Taiwan Power Co’s (Taipower, (台電) wind-powered energy generation plans, as many as 51 turbines have at one time or another been inoperative. Taipower blames the high rate of malfunctioning on Taiwan’s hot climate and lack of supporting equipment. The high rate of breakdown is a significant setback to the . . . Complete story »
146 wind turbines in dolphin waters
The inshore waters around Changbin Industrial Park, near Lukang, Changhua County is known humpback dolphin habitat. It is arguably the best site for land based observation and forms critically important habitat for the species. 244 wind turbines are to be erected in the area (23 have already been erected). Of those, 146 will be erected in the shallow inshore waters that are frequented by the dolphins. What effect will the noise from this “green energy” project have on the species? . . . Complete story »
