Taiwan’s first and largest shrimp farm with a rooftop PV system was officially put into operation on June 1. Premier William Lai, Tainan City Mayor Li Men-yen, Lightwave Solar Power Inc. Chairperson Wang Hui-ying, and guests from various industries took part in the ribbon cutting ceremony. Mayor Li said that the city government has been promoting “aquaculture/agriculture – PV system co-exist” projects (setting up PV panels on top of fish farms or farmlands) to encourage the development of green energy, agriculture, and aquaculture. Hopefully this type of co-exist model can become more popular and create a win-win situation for aquaculture/agriculture and green energy.
Premier William Lai said that Tainan has the largest area of farmlands, and strong and long periods of sunshine which makes the city an ideal place for developing solar energy generation. The “aquaculture/agriculture – PV system co-exist” project is a new operation model which combines agriculture, aquaculture, and livestock industries with renewable energy development and generation. By adding green energy infrastructure to existing agriculture and aquaculture industries, the projects can increase aquaculture farmers’ income and further promote more projects that combine aquaculture and green energy. The Premier also pointed out that the development and trends of national energy policies can greatly affect people’s livelihood, industries, and national security. In order to reach the Nuclear-free Homeland goal in 2025, the Executive Yuan proposed three main methods: diverse energy generation, smart energy saving, and high-tech energy storage. For diverse energy generation, the goal is to reach a maximum amount of 20GW via solar energy generation to replace the amount currently generated by nuclear power plants (20% of the total energy generated). The government also collaborates with local sectors to jointly promote rooftop PV systems to transform and adjust the energy generation structure and proportion. By doing so, the central government hopes to achieve three ultimate goals: establish a nuclear-free homeland, maintain stable power supply, and reduce air pollution.
Mayor Li Men-yen remarked that this is Taiwan’s first and largest shrimp farm with a rooftop PV system. With an area of approximately 2.3 hectares, the farm uses water circulation systems for high density fish farming to avoid farming losses that could occur in natural environments. This is also the most effective way of using water and land. Since the government began to promote green energy, 4,000 cases have been launched so far, and the total power generated is approximately 454MW, which is equivalent to the amount generated by two Zengwun Reservoirs. Floating solar arrays were also set up in flood detention pools in Liou-ying Technology and Environment Industrial Park and Tainan Technology Industrial Park this year. Each array generates approximately 5MW and offers significant contribution to the 1GW total solar energy generation volume goal.
Lightwave Solar Power Chairperson Wang Hui-ying added that the shrimp farm expects to see an annual yield of 100 tonnes for white shrimp, and the annual production value may reach NTD 50 million. With a total installed capacity of 2.86MW, the estimated annual power generation volume is at least 3.67 million kWh, which would be an additional value to the shrimp farm. It is estimated that the farm can reduce 1,940 tonnes of carbon emission, which is equivalent to the amount reduced by six Tainan Parks. Wang thanked the government’s assistance in the project so that the PV system shrimp farm could be successfully set up. Furthermore, after the white shrimp production volume stabilizes, the farm can work on obtaining a Halal Certification, which is very popular recently, and start developing the large Southeast Asian and Muslim market.