Taiwan starts construction on solar-powered library

Work has begun on a solar-powered library that is being built in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei and could benefit from new incentives designed to offer solar energy providers above-market prices for the energy they generate.

Rooftop solar panels will provide electricity to the two-story building, which will have a total floor space of 661 square metres. Construction started last week and is expected to be finished by June 2010.

The library is a donation by Cheng Fu-tien, the late chairman of Taiwanese solar cell maker Motech Industries.

Government officials did not provide an estimate of the rooftop's potential installed capacity, nor say whether the library would be grid-connected. However, they did confirm that the building will have a range of green features designed with the help of German energy consultants, including improved insulation and windows.

Library users will also be able to enter the building and return and borrow books on a 24-hour basis using Easy Cards, a smartcard system used primarily to pay fares on Taipei's public transport system.

The building’s first floor will house books, magazines and a research area, while the second floor will serve as a centre for exhibits on energy conservation.

The project follows the passage last month of a feed-in tariff bill by Taiwan's national government. The policy would require state-run electricity monopoly Taiwan Power to pay for available solar energy at a set price, which has yet to be determined.

Solar equipment companies have been lobbying for a rate of $0.24 (15p) per kWh, four times the $0.06 kWh that Taiwan Power says it is willing to pay. Authorities expect the tariff to be in place by year-end.

The feed-in tariff is part of Taiwan's broader efforts to boost the nation's clean tech sector, which faces competition from neighbouring China, South Korea and Japan.

In April, the government pledged to invest $1.4bn in the domestic renewable energy industry over the next five years. Of that sum, $588m will go to research and development for green energy technologies, while $810m is earmarked for the installation of environmentally friendly equipment, including light-emitting diodes and solar panels.

Taiwan aims to increase annual revenue from the green energy sector from $4.8m in 2008 to $45.4bn by 2015. The industry is expected to create 110,000 jobs by 2015 and account for 6.6 per cent of the country's overall manufacturing industry.