Taipei, March 17 (CNA) A group of experts visiting from the U.K. met with Taiwanese government officials and business representatives and advised them on wind energy, the fastest growing renewable energy technology -- a top priority in Taiwan's renewable energy program.
Representatives from the Energy Group of the British Department of Trade and Industry and Garrad Hassan and Partners Ltd. held a meeting with their Taiwanese counterparts, including officials from the Bureau of Energy under the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and representatives from Taiwan Power Company, Taiwan Sugar Corporation and other private companies.
"Taiwan is an emerging market in terms of renewable energy. And the U.K. has seen significant growth in renewable energy development in recent years," said Richard Brooks, of the Department of Trade and Industry's Energy group.
Taiwan's government wants to promote renewable energy, but it's still in the process of evaluating its support system, Brooks said, adding that a lot of local private companies have expressed interest in developing wind energy and have sent staff to the U.K. for training.
In its energy white papers, Taiwan's government has made it clear that wind energy will be its top priority in developing renewable resources and has set an ambitious target of 10 percent of electricity to be generated from renewable energy by 2010.
Renewable energy captures its power from ongoing natural processes such as sunshine, wind, flowing water, biological processes and geothermal heat flows.
The U.K.'s short-term goal is to develop its off-shore wind farms and is exploring wave and tidal energy as its long-term goal, Brooks said.
"We can't say what's best for Taiwan right now, as it depends on what the government program is," he said.
Taiwan has what it takes to develop a wind energy program, given its advanced technological background and strong component manufacturing capability. It's possible that Taiwan could eventually enjoy and export wind energy, Brooks said.