The Taichung City Government is dedicated to promoting energy transformation as a proactive measure in dealing the challenge posed by climate change. The city actively advocates for alternative sources of renewable energy to reduce the reliance on traditional thermal power generation and address specific air pollution concerns. For this, the Water Resources Bureau (WRB) of the Taichung City Government, Fong He Green Energy, and JetPro Technology answered the call and cooperated to pioneer the installation of small hydropower facilities in drainage areas under municipal administration. The first project, the "Shishuike River Small Hydropower Plant", is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Upon its completion, the plant will provide additional clean energy to the local area, as a proof to uphold the ideas of sustainable development in terms of water resources, energy conservation and carbon reduction, and make more uses out of drainage facilities.

The Water Resources Bureau (WRB) Director Fan Shi-Yi said that the "Taichung City Small Hydropower Development Project" established by WEB works on a public-private partnership model, as the city hall signed a 20-year cooperation contract with the partner companies. The partner companies provide the funding in full, and the city hall is paid from the profits made based on the proportion agreed in the contract and provides the need resources that the public sector can offer in return. The first project, the Shishuike River Small Hydropower Plant, is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The installation capacity is 185KW, equivalent to 1,000 green power certificates according to the " Implementation Regulations governing Renewable Energy Certificates" by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Once the plant is installed and starts operating, the power generated will be made available for local businesses in the form of green energy and green energy certificates. This arrangement is designed to be mutually beneficial, contributing to environmental sustainability while providing advantages to all parties involved.

The Water Resources Bureau (WRB) pointed out that the selection of a site for small hydropower facilities is an important issue, as there must be abundance of water and enough water head for the development of power generation. A thorough survey is required for these conditions in the municipal drainage areas. In order to find a suitable development site, WRB and its partners have had several field surveys, trying to locate a potential site for the first development and, finally, the cooperating manufacturers conducted multiple on-site surveys and potential site assessments. Finally, they selected the Shishuike River Drainage as the construction site for the first small hydropower plant.

The Water Resources Bureau (WRB) further pointed out that the site is next to the Shigang Dam Water Recycling Center, which is a pit stop of the famous tourist attraction "Dongshi-Fengyuan Green Tunnel" in Taichung City. An information board will be set up to help visitors with why this facility is established and how a hydropower plant like this works, as this is a perfect spot for environmental education.

Tsai Meng-Hsun, the general manager of Fong He Green Energy, stated that this hydropower generation project is the first in Taiwan to employ a siphon-type small hydroelectric generation unit. Water is fed from the upper pool to the lower pool without the need for additional pressure pipelines and excavation work, and water bypass is no longer needed. It is a type of hydropower equipment that has the least impact on existing water conservancy facilities. For bio-friendliness, a biological channel is kept next to the intercepting ditch for the passage of native organisms, as the construction of the ditch did not cut off the entire river channel. In addition, it is also an important design detail to prevents small organisms dwelling on riverbed from being diverted into the intercepting ditch. Therefore, it is all parts of the project design to create a friendly environment and allowing ecology and small hydropower to coexist.

Director Fan further emphasized that hydropower operates 24-7 for power generation, making it one of the most competitive and stable sources of renewable energy. It does not have the low efficiency problem that solar or wind power has when it is at night or the wind is low, and usually features high energy conversion efficiency. In order to promote green energy development policies, WRB began the micro-hydropower demonstration projects as early as the 2021 Dongdaxi Water Environment Improvement Project, where a micro-hydroelectric power generation plant with an installation capacity of 1.2 kW was installed to generate power with the purified water that is treated through gravels and diverted through a dedicated pipe gravitationally by local difference in elevation. This plant is now generating approximately 30 kWh per day of power for surrounding landscape lights and doubles as an environmental education example.

Director Fan pointed out that the city government continues to survey sites of regional drainage potentials within the city board and come up with feasibility assessments and development plans as a continuous effort for the promotion of the green energy sustainability concept. In the future, WEB will also continue to work hard to contribute to local environmental sustainability for a greener and more sustainable Taichung. (10/25*16)* Water Resources Bureau
Contact: Ms. Liao, Water Resources Bureau, Taichung City Government
Tel: 04-22289111, ext. 53407