Promoting Photovoltaic-Environment Symbiosis to Accelerate Sustainable Development

To promote symbiosis between solar photovoltaic installations and the environment, as well as mitigate the impacts caused by the pandemic and agricultural policy and regulatory changes, the Executive Yuan has established a task force to coordinate all central government departments and local governments to streamline administrative procedures. The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has also established an environmental and social evaluation mechanism to exclude sensitive areas and expedite review processes, hoping that photovoltaic (PV) energy can be sustainably developed without compromising the environment.

To prevent fragmentation of agricultural land, on 7 July 2020, the Council of Agriculture (COA) adjusted its policy related to solar PV installations on agricultural land by tightening the land-use change requirements for pieces of farmland smaller than two hectares. This has affected the land space available for solar PV installations.

To align with public expectations and the goal for PV-environment symbiosis, the MOEA adjusted twice the ratio of rooftop solar PV to ground-mounted PV installations, so as to prioritize rooftop PV. The rooftop PV installed capacity target was first increased from 3 GW to 6 GW and was raised again to 8 GW at the beginning of this year. The actual inventory and implementation were also extended to school roofs and public, agricultural, and industrial buildings. As for ground-mounted PV, the MOEA formulated a policy to promote the co-existence of PV and the environment, using “better than the original use” as a principle to guide enterprises to prioritize land that causes no ecological disputes and promote land activation and utilization. For example, priority shall be given to land unfavorable for agricultural use, such as low-fertility land, land in areas unfavorable for agricultural management, landfills, and polluted land that has been remediated. Some space can also be used in conjunction, including fish farms, flood detention ponds, regional drainage areas, parking lots, school sports fields, etc.

In addition, in recent years, the government has been actively promoting fishery-electricity generation symbiosis applications that combine fishery and green power generation. Following the central government’s cross-ministerial cooperation that inventoried fish farming areas of lower ecological concern, the MOEA further conducted evaluations of ecological, cultural, historical and social aspects to exclude environmentally sensitive areas and delineate zones dedicated to fishery-electricity generation. The MOEA also took the initiative to review and analyze management of coastal areas, use, and planning to ensure these zones cause no safety or environmental concerns. Moreover, it also formulated a sample fishery-electricity generation symbiosis contract to protect fishermen’s rights and fish farming environments. During the second half of 2020, 4,702 hectares of land were designated as pilot fishery-electricity generation symbiosis zones. A designation of an additional 4,080 hectares was planned for this year.

Except for the previous efforts in the environmental aspect, to accelerate the attainment of PV installation targets, cross-ministerial coordination mechanisms have been set up, including: (1) a task force set up by the Executive Yuan to coordinate central government departments, (2) a deputy-level communication platform set up among the MOEA, COA, and Ministry of the Interior to eliminate regulatory barriers, and (3) working groups set up with local governments to expedite review procedures. With the efforts from all sectors, 806 MW of installed capacity was added in the first half of this year, 1.45 times the 554 MW added in the same period last year. As of June this year, the cumulative installed capacity had reached 6.62 GW, 5.3 times the 1.25 GW in 2016.

The implementation is a little behind the original targets due to regulatory adjustments, changes in the social environment and the pandemic’s impact. However, promising new models have been found after undergoing the abovementioned efforts. With the new models, it is hoped that implementation can be kept on schedule. At the same time, sustainable development that balances the needs of both the environment and society was achieved along the path towards the target of installing 20 GW of solar PV by 2025.

Sources: The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA)