TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — This photograph of overgrown, long-abandoned solar panels earned photographer Lin I-hsuan (林儀瑄) top prize in the "Place" category of National Geographic's 2023 photo contest.
The location of the photograph is an abandoned photovoltaic power station in Jiadongli in Tainan City's Lioujia District, per UDN. Its agricultural permit was revoked and it remains abandoned to this day.
Festooned with weeds and entwined with vines, the derelict solar farm has gained renewed attention after a netizen used a drone to capture photos of the site, which went viral on social media. Neighboring farmers estimate the solar park has been abandoned for nearly 10 years.
(Lin I-hsuan photo)
This scene is a glimpse into the hurried development and subsequent controversies surrounding solar power in Taiwan. The Ministry of Economic Affairs Bureau of Energy was cited by the newspaper as saying: "Currently, there is no reporting mechanism, and we do not have an estimate on such numbers."
In 2013, the Council of Agriculture revised the regulations on the use of agricultural land "opening the door to agriculture-energy symbiosis." However, the rapid development of photovoltaic facilities on agricultural land gradually led to a situation where energy was prioritized over agriculture.
It was not until the government amended the law in 2017 that the controversy abated. As of May 2017, more than 100 agriculture-energy symbiosis projects had been terminated nationwide, with the majority in Tainan City.
(Lin I-hsuan photo)
The situation with solar farm ruins in Tainan has also sparked renewed discussion on Taiwan’s recycling policy. If photovoltaic panels are not installed or fixed to any structure but have fallen onto the ground, they can be removed and recycled through the existing regulations by units commissioned by the Ministry of Environment.
However, due to the fact that the solar panels at this facility did not touch the ground and were not involved in agricultural cultivation, the government revoked the agricultural permit. According to the legal definition, they cannot be classified as waste, making recycling difficult.
Tainan City Government is deliberating on the issue.
(Lin I-hsuan photo)
