TAOYUAN CITY TRANSFORMS LANDFILLS INTO PARKS WITH SOLAR POWER GENERATION|填補電力缺口 桃園推掩埋場種綠電

As Taiwan moves towards a nuclear-free homeland, it faces the challenge of power shortage. To address this issue, Taoyuan has been developing green energy by generating solar power on top of the landfills. In the next two years, solar panels will be set up at eight landfills. 4.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity will be generated a year, and the carbon footprint will be cut by over 2,000 tons, which is the amount of CO2 absorbed by nine Daan Forest Parks. This landfill located in Taoyuan City Zhongli District has been shutdown for 20 some years. Recently it was transformed into an environmental rehabilitation park and set up with solar power panels. Local residents are quite happy about changing the mountain of garbage into a park. In recent years, Taoyuan has been promoting generation of solar power on top of garbage landfills. In the next two years, eight landfills totaling 4.5 hectares of land will be set up with solar panels, so Taoyuan will become No. 1 in Taiwan in terms of transforming landfills into solar power plants. The facilities will generate 4.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year, and reduce the carbon footprint by 2,394 tons. It is equivalent to afforestation of 242 hectares, or creating 9.3 Daan Forest Parks to absorb carbon dioxide. The efforts will help make up for reduced electricity output due to the government's effort to transform Taiwan into a nuclear-free homeland. Taoyuan City also plans to promote green energy by setting up solar panels at public buildings, schools, and on the ponds. The efforts will increase city revenues and benefit the environment. TRANSLATED BY：JEN WANG