Business Today held its 9th International New Energy Forum on Wednesday (August 13th). The forum, themed “Green Electricity 2.0+: A New Era of Energy Revolution,” focused on three core issues: “Diversified Green Energy Development,” “Deep Energy Conservation and Grid Construction,” and “Green Electricity Market Liberalization and Corporate Participation.” It brought together government officials, international experts, and key companies for dialogue. The forum agenda included presentations by Tsai Chia-Chin, Chairman of Pou Chen Energy; Liu Chih-Peng, Vice Chairman of Ta Ya Group-Synergy Energy; Wang Wen-Wei, General Manager of Taiwan Ho-Hsuan Green Energy; Chen Mei-Hua, General Manager of Chung-Wei Energy; and Tsai Chung-Chih, Chairman of Ri-Yi Intelligent, who offered suggestions for the development of renewable energy and grid resilience in Taiwan.
Does solar photovoltaic power damage the environment? Tsai Chia-Chin of Baojing Energy: Quite the opposite.
Typhoons destroying solar photovoltaic platforms, and green energy competing with farmers and fishermen for farmland—these are common misconceptions about green energy. Conversely, Tsai Chia-chin, Chairman of Pou Chen Energy, points out that when solar photovoltaics are combined with agriculture, they can coexist and thrive, increasing biodiversity. Pou Chen Energy conducts eco-friendly surveys, ensuring that support structures are not too dense, leaving space for biological development, avoiding soil disturbance, and regularly monitoring the ecosystem. This approach actually enhances biodiversity, achieving effects comparable to eco-friendly agriculture. He cites as an example the site in Budai, Chiayi, which has become a good habitat for birds.
Photovoltaics has created 300,000 jobs and directly benefited 300,000 people, far exceeding the number of jobs created by traditional power plants.
“Nuclear power once accounted for 10% of Taiwan’s electricity generation, but do you know anyone working in the nuclear energy industry?” Tsai Chia-chin asked. In rural areas suffering from severe youth population loss, the introduction of photovoltaic companies, combined with local revitalization and ecological farms, can actually boost employment and encourage young farmers to return, “thus improving Taiwan’s current rural predicament.” Tsai Chia-chin pointed out that many rural areas are forced to leave farmland idle due to labor shortages. What they need is not just rent, but the creation of employment income. Therefore, the coexistence of photovoltaics and agriculture can upgrade rural areas to Level 6 agriculture, directly adding value to products. Not only will rural output not decrease, but rural tourism can also be developed.
Tsai Chung-chih: It’s not just Taiwan; the whole world is developing green electricity.
Tsai Chung-chih, Chairman of Riyi Intelligent, stated that by 2024, the global proportion of low-carbon energy will reach 40%, with solar photovoltaic and wind power accounting for 8%, indicating a global demand for green electricity, not just in Taiwan. European and American brands are also demanding that their supply chains increase the proportion of green electricity to achieve RE100 compliance. Tsai Chung-chih pointed out that global green electricity purchases have exceeded 46GW, and the demand for clean energy is growing exponentially. Without sufficient green electricity certificates, companies are likely to have their orders transferred to other suppliers. Therefore, it is essential to provide green renewable energy certificates that comply with RE100, strengthen corporate sustainability and competitiveness, help companies enhance brand value, and improve power stability.