Taiwan farmers find space for solar to meet renewable energy targets without sacrificing scarce land

The use of ‘distributed’ solar – panels on walls and rooftops – is increasingly popular in regions where land is at a premium

While trying to decarbonise, governments around the world are trying to avoid conflict with farmers and prevent further agricultural and biodiversity loss

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Taiwan is looking at ways to reach its renewable energy goals, including subsidising rooftop solar panels and buying back the power produced by them. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 12:54pm, 19 Aug 2022Updated: 4:07pm, 19 Aug 2022

At a row of greenhouses around 50km (30 miles) from Taipei, vanilla farmer Tseng Tien-fu is installing dozens of solar panels, part of Taiwan’s plan to meet its renewable energy goals without sacrificing scarce farmland.

Tseng, who exports most of his crop to Japan, is expanding his business to meet demand from elsewhere, and government payments for solar energy will reduce any risk to his livelihood while he waits for the slow maturing plants to develop.

A farmer carries straw at a rice field in Hualien County, eastern Taiwan. Governments across the world are grappling with how to increase renewables in their energy mix without harming agriculture practices or alienating farmers. Photo: AFP

The use of “distributed” solar – panels installed on walls and rooftops – has become increasingly popular in regions where land is at a premium. Taiwan provides generous subsidies for rooftop panels, and the government is also obliged to buy the surplus electricity they produce, providing Tseng’s greenhouses with a vital new earning opportunity.

“It takes a long time to grow vanilla before there are any crops, but we can sell [electricity] from solar panels to the government for 20 years as soon as they are installed and have an income from that,” he said.

“So, especially for plants like vanilla that take three years before there are any crops, I think [solar panels] are a very good combination.”

Tseng’s shift to solar is part of a wider attempt to solve one of the biggest challenges facing Taiwan as it strives to meet its renewable energy targets.

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