COA tightens guard against solar power grabbing farmland; solar industry players sharply criticize Chen Chi-chung as "out of touch," call for release of agricultural, forestry, fishery and pastoral land for development
On July 7, the COA announced amendments to the "Directions for Review of Consent by Agricultural Competent Authorities for Changes in Use of Agricultural Land." Cases involving the use of farmland for solar power development will face stricter review. In the future, change-of-use cases of 2 hectares or more for solar power development will be reviewed by the central government; for those under 2 hectares, apart from "scattered farmland surrounded or interspersed by other land uses," local governments may grant consent for the change, while all other farmland will not be approved for change of use.
The COA's sudden policy revision was regarded as progress in protecting farmland, the livelihoods of farmers and fishermen, and the ecological environment, but it was described by solar power operators as the "July 7 Incident" and roundly condemned. Today (7/13), at a public hearing held by Legislators Hung Sun-han and Chou Chun-mi, producers, officials, academics and civil society groups concerned about solar power development were invited to attend and debate "the necessity of solar power development's demand for agricultural land."
COA Minister Chen Chi-chung said that the proportion accounted for by rooftop installations should be reconsidered, rather than stirring up the sensitive issue of releasing farmland, which triggers societal criticism of green energy and instead casts a negative shadow over the overall energy transition policy. solar power Industry Association Chairman Hung Chuan-hsien criticized the COA for "departmentalism" and argued that afforestation land and fallow land should be released for use in solar power generation. Environmental groups demanded that the Ministry of Economic Affairs promptly introduce "environmental and social review" regulations, while MOEA Deputy Minister Tseng Wen-sheng did not respond clearly.
COA: We support green energy policy, but must also take into account farmers and fishermen, production and ecological safety
COA Minister Chen Chi-chung said, "The COA's position is to support green energy development," but he also said that the process of promoting green energy does not mean relying entirely on solar power. The agricultural sector has other options such as biogas power generation and rooftop power generation systems in the livestock industry, he stressed. "If we step outside the COA's position," he said, green energy development should not lean toward relying on land-based solar panels, and this issue is worth discussing.
Chen believes that under the current plan for the 2025 target, rooftop installations account for 6GW and ground-mounted installations 14GW, and this ratio needs to be reconsidered. He also asked rhetorically: "Why not 14GW of rooftop installations? We have already installed nearly 1GW on livestock farm rooftops. There are more than 15,000 livestock farms in total. Using the dumbest method, we asked them one by one, and we also asked collection and distribution centers. After taking stock, the COA's rooftop installations can contribute 4GW. There are so many rooftops across Taiwan, yet the agricultural sector actually has the fewest."
In fact, COA data indicate that in 2019 the agricultural sector accounted for only 1.15% of electricity use, but of the 4150MW of renewable energy already installed, the agricultural sector contributed 1361MW, or 33%. Chen believes that the rooftop target must be increased in order to ease the pressure to release farmland and the pressure on the food self-sufficiency rate.
Chen believes that repeated reports on disputes over solar power development on farmland, tree cutting for power generation, and fishery-solar co-existence have been widely shared online, already leading to the stigmatization of green energy policy. The COA has a responsibility to defend green energy policy, which is why it stepped forward to revise the relevant regulations. He also repeatedly stressed that only under the three premises of protecting the rights and interests of farmers and fishermen, agricultural production, and ecological environmental safety can farmland possibly be released in support of green energy policy.
MOEA: Land disputes did not arise overnight; it is hoped that solar power and land can coexist and prosper together
MOEA Deputy Minister Tseng Wen-sheng pointed out that the current dispute is whether "green energy must necessarily use so much flatland solar power." He believes that many problems in Taiwan stem from chaotic land use, which creates a poor public impression, for example "farmland that looks like an industrial zone, while industrial zones do not look like industrial zones," which is the main source of disputes over flatland solar power development.
To resolve the disputes, the MOEA also proposed an "environmental and social review" mechanism, hoping to promote the coexistence and mutual prosperity of solar power and land production. He also pointed out that a benchmark enterprise (TSMC) has already pre-purchased offshore wind power for five years from now, which is an important signal representing the future trend of industry and green energy demand.
In response to operators' demand for land release, Tseng Wen-sheng did not respond directly, only stressing that reducing Taiwan's carbon emissions and reducing pollution are urgent global environmental challenges. In order to resolve the dilemma between the land demand for green energy development and land use, he hopes to seek the coexistence and mutual prosperity of solar power and land production through the environmental and social review system.
Solar power operators: The energy policy level is insufficient; hope to raise it to the Executive Yuan
solar power Power Generation System Commercial Association Chairman Tsai Tsung-jung argued that "before ministries formulate new policies, they should fully communicate with operators and stay grounded," implicitly criticizing Chen Chi-chung for disregarding the interests of the solar power industry. Tsai stressed that the biggest risk for industry participation in solar power is "policy uncertainty," arguing that the Energy Bureau's level is insufficient and it cannot coordinate among ministries, and that energy policy should be elevated to the Executive Yuan level.
Citing epidemic prevention as an example, he said that because authority was centralized and fully delegated, the fight against the epidemic could succeed smoothly. He believes that "to promote the solar power industry, there must be a Chen Shih-chung figure."
solar power Industry Association Chairman Hung Chuan-hsien directly accused the COA of "departmentalism," arguing that Chen Chi-chung's statement amounted to "supporting the policy, but you cannot touch mine," meaning green energy policy would fail before it even began. He also argued that afforestation land and fallow land should be released for use in solar power generation. He pointed out that in the past the slogan of green energy operators was "Tsai Ing-wen supports green energy, green energy supports Tsai Ing-wen," but now he believes that "the country does not seem ready (to support green energy)."
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