Leading Chinese solar manufacturers, including Longi Green Energy Technology, Trina Solar, and JA Solar, have been forced to delay their production capacity expansions as they grapple with severe market oversupply.
The National Science and Technology Conference, held every four years by the Executive Yuan, is the highest-level meeting shaping Taiwan's technology policy. During the conference on December 16, 2024, Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association Chairman Cliff Hou expressed industry concerns regarding the supply of green electricity, urging the government to make concrete commitments towards achieving its phased goals for 2030.
Taiwan-based energy solution provider ATE Energy has achieved significant progress in the Philippines market with an order backlog of about NT$11 billion (approx. US$335.83 million) and expects overseas revenues to account for 70% of the overall total in 2025, according to the company.
Stringent regulations and restrictive land use policies have severely limited Taiwan's solar power development, failing to meet the semiconductor industry's growing demand for green energy, according to Norman Tsai, chairman of both the Taiwan Photovoltaic Industry Sustainability Association (TPISA) and INA Energy.
As offshore wind and solar power mature, the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Taiwan (MOEA) has shifted its focus to geothermal energy as the next key phase in renewable energy development.
Despite initial market jitters following Donald Trump's presidential victory, Taiwan's energy industry executives remain confident, with some reporting increased orders for solar and energy storage products in recent weeks.
Days after the US government announced fresh countervailing duties on solar products from Southeast Asian countries, targeting Chinese companies, China-based solar inverter manufacturer Ningbo Deye announced its intention to invest US$150 million in establishing a subsidiary in Malaysia to manufacture solar energy and storage products.
The Taiwan government's unclear position on renewable energy manufacturing has triggered a "race to the bottom" across its clean energy sectors in 2024. The recent controversy over Sino-American Silicon's production halt highlights solar power challenges, while the domestic offshore wind initiative faces even steeper setbacks.
The competition to dominate Asia's nascent floating offshore wind market is intensifying, with Taiwan and South Korea emerging as frontrunners while Japan's cautious approach risks leaving it behind in the region's renewable energy transformation.
Japan is advancing its ambitious space solar power program through foundational experiments designed to collect solar energy in space and transmit electricity back to Earth.
Sino-American Silicon (SAS)'s recent move to "prepay" vacation days at its Yilan solar cell plant has exposed deeper fractures in Taiwan's once-promising solar manufacturing sector, with industry-wide layoffs mounting and investors heading for the exits.
HD Renewables and ATE Energy have signed a letter of intent with San Miguel Global Power (SMGP), the power generation arm of San Miguel Corporation, to jointly develop a 1-gigawatt (GW) solar energy project in Isabela Province, Philippines.
The US will increase tariffs on Chinese polysilicon and silicon wafers starting January 2025, raising the rate from 25% to a staggering 50%. This move has left many companies that have established manufacturing facilities in the US feeling trapped.
Delta Electronics has launched Taiwan's first megawatt-scale hydrogen production and fuel cell testing facility—the "Delta Net-Zero Science Laboratory"—at Tainan Science Park. The lab marks a significant step forward in Delta's efforts to drive innovation in hydrogen energy technology as part of its commitment to a net-zero future.
Delta Electronics has launched its "Delta Net Zero Science Laboratory" in Tainan Science Park, marking a major step in Taiwan's hydrogen energy development. Chairman Ping Cheng hailed hydrogen as the "holy grail" of energy, emphasizing its potential as a future growth driver and advocating for a national hydrogen energy team.
On December 11, 2024, the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced modifications to tariff actions under Section 301 of the Trade Act, targeting specific Chinese products. These measures aim to address long-standing issues related to China's technology transfer, intellectual property practices, and innovation policies. The updated tariffs, which will take effect on January 1, 2025, include new rates on tungsten products, polysilicon, and wafers.
US President-elect Donald Trump's consistent advocacy for fossil fuels and dismissal of renewable energy as a "century-long hoax" has raised concerns across the energy sector. Industry observers anticipate that Trump's administration could stifle the growth of renewable energy in the US.
Hai Long Project, the largest offshore wind power project in Taiwan and Asia, is set to connect to the grid in stages from 2025 to 2026. Tim Kittelhake, CEO and Project Director of the Hai Long project, confirmed steady progress according to schedule, with the Hai Long 2 wind farm completion targeted for late 2025 and Hai Long 3 wind farm for 2026.
Daya Group marked its upcoming 70th anniversary with a renewed commitment to long-term energy development, as Chairman Ryan Shen outlined the company's vision for the next two decades. The Taichung Longjing E-dReg 100 MW energy storage project remains on schedule for completion in March 2025, with the company launching a second-phase 75 MW expansion on December 5 that will be completed in 2026.
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), aimed at bolstering renewable energy and electric vehicles, has drawn sharp criticism from Donald Trump, who dismissed it as a "green new scam." While Trump contemplates a White House return, China's decades-long investment in green industries is poised to deliver significant benefits by 2025, marking its shift away from oil dependency.
Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) has been aggressively investing in green energy and sustainability initiatives in recent years, as part of its strategy of pursuing both profits and ESG projects. To achieve its goal of using 100% green energy across all manufacturing facilities worldwide by 2040, Foxconn has been investing in both solar power systems and green factories as part of its broader ESG strategy.
The European Union is tightening its subsidy rules for green hydrogen production, effectively barring products with substantial Chinese involvement. The move reflects lessons learned from past challenges with Chinese competition, particularly in the solar energy sector, and aligns with strategies adopted by the US and Japan to counter Beijing's industrial dominance.
Following two weeks of heated discussions, the COP29 climate summit concluded with debates over climate financing dominating headlines. However, significant strides were made in energy, with resolutions on hydrogen, energy storage, and carbon trading establishing a framework for global energy transformation.
Following multiple typhoons in 2024, Taiwan faces significant challenges to its power grid. Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) Vice President and CEO Ming-Shu Chen highlighted the increasing unpredictability of climate change's impact on Taiwan, stressing the need to enhance the resilience of power infrastructure and improve cross-agency collaboration to tackle extreme weather events effectively.
