Taiwan’s first High Concentrator PV solar power system inaugurated
Central News Agency, 21 June 2009
Source: Taiwan News
http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?
id=982331&lang=eng_news&cate_img=35.jpg&cate_rss=news_Business
A ceremony was held yesterday in southern Taiwan to inaugurate the country’s first commercial-grade high concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) solar power system, which will have a total installed capacity of one megawatt once the construction project is completed. The inauguration marked the first-stage operation of the system, located in the Liuying Environment Science and Technology Park in Tainan County. At present, it can generate 100 kilowatts of clean electricity per hour.
Eric Tsai, general manager of the Taipei-based Advanced Renewable Energy Inc. (AREi) , which is cooperating with the Tainan county government in developing solar energy, said at the ceremony that 14 HCPV devices have been installed to achieve an annual output of 190,000 kWh per year. In the future, the company will install other planned facilities to enable power generation of 900 kilowatts per hour, he added. Tsai further said that through a grid system, the clean power from the facility will be provided for the use of AREi’s photovoltaic research center at the science park. Any additional power will be sold to the state-run Taiwan Power Company, he noted.
According to Tsai, the cost of constructing a HCPV solar power system is much more than that of building a traditional solar power system, but requires 50 percent less land. The company is expected to earn its investment back in less than 14 years, thanks to the passage of the Renewable Energy Development Act, which allows government subsidies for private companies involved in the development of clean energy.