Microgeneration

The Guardian, a British newspaper, yesterday reported:

British buildings equipped with solar, wind and other micro power equipment could generate as much electricity in a year as five nuclear power stations, a government-backed industry report showed today.

Commissioned by the Department for Business, Energy and Regulatory Reform (DBERR), the report says that if government chose to be as ambitious as some other countries, a combination of loans, grants and incentives could lead to nearly 10m microgeneration systems being installed by 2020.

Such a large scale switch to microrenewable energy could save 30m tonnes of CO2 – the equivalent of nearly 5% of all UK electricity.

The report estimates that there are nearly 100,000 microgeneration units already installed in Britain. Nearly 90,000 of these are solar water heaters, with limited numbers of biomass boilers, photovoltaic panels, heat pumps, fuel cells, and small-scale hydroelectric and windpower schemes.

Likewise, the vast majority of microgeneration systems installed here in Taiwan are solar water heaters. There's not the space for private wind turbines, but as photovoltaic cells become cheaper and more efficient, the government should make it easy for homeowners to set up net metering systems.

South Taiwan is very suitable: Kaohsiung gets 2,139 hours of sunshine per year; Tainan enjoys 2,649 hours. Many apartment buildings have flat roofs, and residents will likely be interested in a scheme that means, instead of paying a monthly management fee for building upkeep, they earn a few dollars every once in a while.

Recycling Bricks

Here's something I saw the other day in Tainan City: A wall being built using recycled old bricks to provide bulk, and cut down on the amount of concrete needed. It's nothing new, but it's better than the empty oil cans which have been used in some buildings in Taiwan (including some which fell down in the 9-21 Earthquake).

I wonder if the bricks came from the original wall on this site, or were trucked in a significant distance?

Just as some people are trying to cut down their food miles, others now care about construction-material miles. However, the building that has been acclaimed as Taiwan's greenest, Beitou Library in Taipei City, is made largely of wood imported from North America. Also, it lacks racks where cyclists can lock up their bikes.

Bikes In The News

In a March 5 editorial, titled Coaxing Cyclists Out Of The Parks, the Taipei Times says:

"For cyclists in Taipei, two things changed this weekend. On Saturday, the Taipei MRT system opened 12 more stations to cyclists and their bikes, bringing the number of stations with bicycle access up to 27 of the 69 stops. Then, on Sunday, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) announced new traffic rules for cyclists on city streets that will take effect at the end of this month. The city's growing population of cyclists will no doubt welcome the chance to board the MRT with their bikes at more stations."

This is the critical (in every sense of the word) sentence:

"Unfortunately, Taipei's bicycle infrastructure seems to revolve around one word: recreation."

The editorial argues that government officials should be looking at cycling as a way of getting to work, not just exercising. I doubt that many young Taiwanese office workers could be persuaded to cycle to work. The hot, wet climate isn't conducive to cycling and then turning up at the office in the pristine condition expected. As far as I know, few companies have facilities where workers can shower and change on arrival...

Meanwhile, the Taiwan News reports that Tainan City is planning a bike rental system for residents and visitors. According to the report, the city government said the service could "reduce vehicle use by about 5 to 10 percent."

Anyone wanting to rent a bike would have to get a special IC card that would enable him or her to remove a bike from one of the 90-odd unmanned rental stations the city is planning.

I have one concern: Will the IC cards be retrieved and recharged for reuse? Or, once exhausted, will they simply become landfill, like IC cards for public telephones?

Guanshan in Taidong County has perhaps the most successful tourist-oriented cycling scheme in Taiwan. Several other townships have tried to emulate it; Meinong in Kaohsiung County seems to have done a decent job.

For other news of bike-related events this month, see this post on the David On Formosa blog.