Taiwan and Mongolia Sign Cooperation Deal on Renewable Energy

Taiwan and Mongolia have recently signed a cooperation deal on renewable-energy development and energy management, with Taiwan pledging to help Mongolia set up wind-power and solar-power systems, as well as boost energy-management and manage-review efficiency.

The deal, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), will help Taiwan's manufacturers tap the Mongolian market for renewable energy, which is estimated by the ministry to exceed NT$10 billion (US$333 million) in five years, with a vigorous plan to install at least 100,000 solar panels as part of Mongolia's plan to aggressively cut  greenhouse gas emission from thermal-power plants.

The Mongolian government plans to tap renewable energy to generate 20% to 25% of the nation's total electricity by 2020 from current 10%.

MOEA officials say that Mongolia is very suitable for developing solar and wind power thanks to abundant sunshine and winds across the nation's plains with low population density.

Deputy Economic Minister T.J. Duh says that since 2009, when Taiwan's legislature passed an act regarding the development of renewable energy, the island's installed solar power capacity has soared 23 folds while plans are to increase the number of terrestrial wind turbines to 350 by 2015. Offshore, it has installed four turbines.

Although Duh says that Taiwan has mastered the core technology of wind and solar power equipment, the ministry's officials say Taiwan's renewable-energy equipment suppliers are  unable to win international contracts that demanded equipment to meet international standard, which they cannot achieve currently. (KL)