TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Changhua County became Taiwan’s largest hub for grid-connected renewable energy after installed solar and wind capacity exceeded 4 GW by the end of last year, Taipower said Monday.

The state utility said the milestone is the highest in Taiwan and earned Changhua the National Development Council’s Government Service Award for social innovation and inclusion, per CNA.

Taipower explained that Changhua’s solar and wind resources have made grid integration a key challenge. To increase capacity, it has built renewable-dedicated substations, added new feeders, expanded capacity reviews, and cleared unused reserved connections.

From 2021 to 2024, these measures added 531.48 MW of capacity, equivalent to about 7.6 years of average grid-connection demand along Taiwan’s west coast.

To improve efficiency, the Changhua district office holds monthly meetings with the county government to keep projects on schedule. It has also promoted a feeder spare-capacity inquiry system to make information more transparent.

Taipower said its tiered approach ensures fair participation, linking large-scale projects to transmission grids and smaller projects to distribution grids. The system is designed to enable developers of all sizes to participate in green energy development.

Looking ahead, Taipower said it will advance solar and offshore wind projects nationwide in line with the government’s renewable energy roadmap.