Harnessing the energy of coastal windsDespite the abundant coastal winds along its shoreline, Taiwan remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels, which make up over 75 percent of its total installed electricity capacity. Shifting towards sustainable energy is vital for both Taiwan’s national security, and for its economic and environmental prosperity. This project harnesses the plentiful supply of wind energy along Taiwan’s coast near Taichung in the west and Changbin in the east. The wind farms consist of 62 wind turbines, and generate over 480,000 MWh of clean power each year which is supplied to the local electricity grid.
In addition to contributing to global climate change mitigation, this project is engaged in several nature preservation enterprises such as regular beach clean ups and guided tours that raise awareness about climate change, pollution and other environmental issues. The project has also led to the forestation of 2,400 m2 of land, encouraging local biodiversity.
How wind energy contributes to climate actionAs the name suggests, wind turbines use the power of the wind to generate energy. During this process, a generator located inside the wind turbine converts kinetic energy into electrical energy. As energy is still mainly generated from fossil fuels in many areas around the world, clean wind energy can replace some of this fossil, high-emission energy and verifiably save CO2 emissions.
In most cases, the sustainably generated electricity from the wind power projects is fed into a regional power grid, which diversifies the power supply and improves energy security in regions that are frequently affected by power shortages and outages. A project often creates increased job opportunities for the local population and the area can be used for additional activities, such as agriculture. Wind power projects make an important contribution to a clean energy supply worldwide and contribute to sustainable development with respect to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Wind energy projects in the ClimatePartner portfolio are registered with international standards.
