YD:
Welcome to episode two of TRENA TALKS, it is Trena's English speaking series for Taiwan renewable energy alliance podcast series and I'm YD and vice chairperson of TRENA and today we are going to be talking about an onshore wind which looks back on quite some history in Taiwan and I'm joined today by Raoul, our chairman, and Bart Linseen, our guest speaker and also our old friend, and onshore wind veteran.
INTRODUCTION
Raoul:
Welcome Bart, really looking forward to speak to you – and this episode is recorded so short before Christmas. We’re getting into the Christmas spirit and discussing onshore wind energy, which has a long history in Taiwan. Today, we’ll focus on community wind energy—how it could work in Taiwan and the first steps needed. You are joining us from the Netherlands, where you are currently on, and very happy that you made it early in the morning. Could you start by introducing yourself, your background, how did you get into and what sparked your passion for wind energy?"
Bart:
Thank you for having me—it's great to join both of you. Onshore wind has been around for a long time, and our different perspectives make today’s discussion even more engaging. My interest in renewable energy started while studying electrical engineering in the Netherlands, conducting topics on sustainability and global warming. My first job wasn’t in renewables—I worked on uninterruptible power supplies for a Dutch company, and was dispatched to Taiwan nearly 30 years ago, where I worked in the semiconductor industry until 2008.
In 2008, I took my daughter to the beach in Tunan, where they were building wind turbines—one of the first projects. I realized this was the work I wanted to do. I researched the company, applied, and later joined their turbine supplier, Anacon, managing service and maintenance in Taiwan from 2008 until two years ago. Since then, I’ve worked broadly in renewable energy and now serve as Director of Renewable Energy at RCI Sustainability Solutions. We consult and handle audits, ESG consulting, sustainable building certifications, and also distribute building-integrated solar PV systems. This role allows me explore exciting projects like the community wind initiatives; we’ll discuss more details later.
Aside from my work at RCI, I’ve been active with the ECCT since 2014/2015. Around that time, onshore wind faced opposition of negative news released, particularly the Yuanli protests, where people chained themselves to turbine foundations to stop construction. I realized there was widespread misunderstanding about wind energy and its technology within community. This incident highlighted the need to engage with communities, share accurate information, and explain why developing wind energy is necessary.
I’ve also served as co-chairman and a founding member of the Wind Energy Committee for many years. Additionally, I’ve been active in the ECCT’s Low Carbon Initiative, sharing low-carbon technologies and European experiences with Taiwan. That’s a bit about my background.
Raoul:
We just discussed early that Taiwan's onshore wind market is now at 914/915 megawatt, but it's also a market that's been stagnating for quite some time. What does convince you that onshore wind is a good solution?
Bart:
Yes, it’s a good solution. However, opportunities in Taiwan are somewhat limited due to space constraints, though it still has its space and the role to play and hasn’t reached to its maximum possible. In Europe, particularly the Netherlands—a similarly crowded country—the creative solutions have to be gererated to engineer development of onshore wind, even in crowded places. Onshore wind is very important there due to its lower cost per kilowatt-hour, ease of installation, and manageable project size, which makes it easier to construct. Onshore wind activity remains strong in the Netherlands.
Opportunities exist in the Netherlands, that haven’t been explored in Taiwan, three opportunities such as combining wind farms with harbors, constructing along highways, or installing in industrial parks. For instance, Taichung Harbor could potentially install 200MW of onshore wind, producing renewable energy at around $20 per kilowatt-hour or less—an affordable and impactful contribution. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been successful for various reasons.
The other successful model of community wind farm cases in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium, where residents invest and benefit directly from wind farms, reducing resistance. Such a model has not yet been able to implement successfully in Taiwan.
Raoul:
We’ll discuss this later. Taichung Harbor has ideal hinterlands with strong winds and ample space for more turbines, potentially balancing out the coal power plant.
Bart:
Exactly. Not only more turbines, currently, there is not a single bigger turbine there. They've installed series of 10KW or very small turbines but there's nothing else yet.
YD:Very small turbines are next to the Taichung coal fire power plant.
Bart:
Two or three TPC turbines there, for two megawatt, lots of opportunities to be expanded there.
YD:The main advantage of onshore wind is the price. Currently, the biggest challenge for offshore wind companies is the high price, and even more so, the difficulty in selling to the big end users. Onshore wind in Taiwan has approximately 900 megawatts capacity, with the cheapest price of renewable energy, and is primarily consumed by one or two end users. If Taichung Port could harness 200 megawatts, the company could make a huge difference.
Bart:
We've been in talks with them for some time now, but there hasn't been much progress. Returning to the cost, it's difficult to predict exactly, as it depends on factors like location and wind conditions. As we mentioned earlier, when Infravest lobbied the government for the Feed-In Tariff, it was set at just $2 NTD per kilowatt-hour. It has since built over 100 or 150 turbines with that Feed-In Tariff. That was 15 years ago, however, prices have since decreased, and I would estimate that the cost now is probably lower than $2 NTD per kilowatt-hour.
Raoul:
The latest Feed-In Tariff for onshore wind is currently at 2.1 Taiwan dollar; that costs far below 3.5 Taiwan dollar. TPC now produces electricity seems to be not the barrier in that case. perhabs the general turbine size now in Taiwan was around 2 megawatt, whether if it has changed a little bit bigger than the current size is.
Bart:
I am not in the place to speak for other turbine suppliers, but as for Anacon, currently offers Taiwan a 4 megawatt turbine with 140m, diameter of rotor blades, and a 100m tower, which is significantly bigger than 70m, diameter turbines of 2 megawatt in post installing 15 years ago. With these bigger turbines, the cost also come down.
YD:
But we also see the problem here. I mean there are some local developers As smaller developers, they also know the margin they could get from developing onshore wind. So some of them started to develop smaller size projects in Jang Hua, and actually caused some tension within the communities. So this is something quite alerting to me, it feels like the community debate we encountered back in 2016 or even earlier.
When you talked about community wind in Germany and Belgium, they were really helpful to develop a good proper projects. What do you mean by that? What could we learn from that? Is there any opportunities we could have in Taiwan?
Bart:
The key aspects are to involve citizens from the planning stage and throughout the project management process. They should have the right to decide what the project will look like, which can reduce residents’ resistance against the project. Additionally, allowing them to purchase shares in the project is a better approach than simply offering compensation. In Taiwan, developers typically offer financial compensation to residents, but this often creates a sense of transaction rather than genuine engagement with the project.
Talking about compensation, it is always a point of debate, as what is offered today may not be enough tomorrow. Moreover, compensation doesn't make residents feel secure about the project. What truly matters to them is the opportunity to buy shares. Even a small investment, such as 5,000 or 10,000 NTD share, can alter their perspective on the project. When residents have a financial stake, they are more likely to support it, even if they were initially opposed. The key to community wind projects is to involve residents by allowing them to take a share.
There are three different formats to do. First, wind farm cooperation, community invest on wind project, means initiated and financed by local residents. So it can be done by individuals, community groups, NGOs, schools or universities. Second, wind farm with community shared ownership. Developer offers a successful development of wind farm shares, or part of the shares to the residents. This can reduce opposition to the project. The final one is municipal, when farm is invested and operated by municipality; it's also essential that participations is equally among the residents. Neither any single resident owns all the shares, nor do others. It is important that the equal opportunity for everyone lives in the community of wind farm to buy those shares, and It's also important that residents are involved in the decision making process and the participation into the wind farm.
Raoul:
In Taiwan's renewable energy market, only few solar developers are more citizen or community-driven, offering shares or seeking funding from local residents, though these efforts often don't succeed. Compensation is a very Taiwanese approach—like the vouchers we receive annually as compensation for living near a waste incineration plant, which doesn't help much. Compensation remains a traditional practice in Taiwan and is likely to be used in renewable energy projects, even if it’s not the most effective solution.
I agree that offering shares likely leads to greater buy-in and better community engagement. However, has there been any attempt at onshore wind community energy in Taiwan? From what we know, such initiatives have been tried but have never been successful.
Bart:
From my conversations with those involved or aware of these projects, I’ve identified a few key issues. First, there’s a lack of willingness to invest personal money, which is a major obstacle. This problem is common in both onshore wind and solar projects. Solar projects are often easier to complete because they’re smaller and require less funding. The second issue is unrealistic expectations about profitability. Political influence often skews residents' expectations, making it difficult for companies to meet them, leading to doubts and resistance.
I also feel that renewable energy is generally viewed as something the government should handle, rather than something individuals can contribute to. Lack of willingness to get involved, even for the benefit of the climate or expanding renewable energy. May be you can comment on why is a lack of awareness? Why renewable energy is necessary in Taiwan, or educationtion? I cannot really put my finger on that. Or is that because until now everything has always been looked out for by the government. Energy is supplied by the government. The government takes care, and you do not need to actively participate in yourself. I haven't been able to fully grasp or pinpoint that perspective.
YD:
When private companies are involved in developing public infrastructure, people often associate it with corruption, believing there must be significant personal gain behind such large-scale projects. Your observation is spot on—Taiwanese people are used to being "babysat", especially when it comes to power. For instance, after a typhoon, if the electricity is out for just two hours, people will immediately call legislators to fix the issue. There’s little patience or trust in Taipower to handle such matters. On the other hand, people are generally willing to contribute to the community, as seen when it’s easier to mobilize them to clean up after a typhoon.
Bart:
Right. Somebody needs to lead the way. If a local leader can mobilize residents to participate, that’s one thing. Additionally, Taiwanese are generally keen businesspeople who spot the opportunities. With the current pricing and costs of onshore wind, it presents a promising business opportunity. I can see the potential there, but I’m not sure how to link these pieces of the puzzle yet.
Raoul:
You mentioned earlier about engaging a community in places like Janghwa or Ponghu. How can we best facilitate such discussions, especially when some people may remain silent during the conversation but later voice concerns? What tools or approaches can support this deliberation around such a project?
Bart:
The software and method are based on a Stanford approach, enabling residents to discuss topics online. For community wind farms, we identify potential turbine locations, assess stakeholders within a 2 km radius (more than the 1 km typical in the Netherlands), and collaborate with local governments to select representatives. Around 150 participants are invited to online sessions, starting with surveys to gather opinions on onshore wind farm development. They receive technical information on turbines, costs, benefits, climate impact, and potential solutions. This process ensures informed discussions and documented feedback for the project.
For example, one of the questions is, “Who is the trusted person to lead this project? Could your local village leader be the right person?” The software divides the 150 residents into small groups of six or seven to discuss possible solutions for organizing the community wind farm. It ensures everyone gets a chance to speak, limiting each turn to 45 seconds, with participants able to click a button to speak again. The process continues until the group agrees to move on. This step-by-step approach ensures independent discussions, prevents domination by one or two individuals, and facilitates balanced participation.
Participants explore various solutions for setting up the wind farm. After the deliberation discussion, they summarize one or two unresolved questions, which are then addressed by a panel of experts in a separate session. Following the experts' input, another survey is conducted to gather opinions and insights from different groups. These activities help provide a clearer understanding of a community wind farm in this area. This is the concept we are developing, with hopes of securing government funding to implement it.
YD:
So far, no commercial developers are involved—this is more of an idea or opinion-gathering initiative. There should be a group of volunteers, such as NGOs or passionate experts, would run the campaign to spark interest and provide a reference for those looking to invest in or establish their own community wind project.
Bart:
Exactly. Ideally, the government could take the lead by designating one or two or three areas as green zones for development. This approach aligns with their role and would provide clear direction for community wind projects.
Conclusion:
The government can lead by designating green light zones and addressing local concerns early, allowing communities to select developers based on agreed conditions. This approach reduces developers' risks by securing permits upfront, enabling more competitive projects and better conditions for residents.
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