Photon, Toshiba building unsubsidized 120 MW solar fishery in Taiwan

Photon Taiwan Fund, a joint venture between Photon Energy, Toshiba, JA Mitsui Leasing, and Fuyo General Lease, have agreed to work with Taiwanese solar developer Ark Solar Energy on the construction of a 120 MW solar facility at a fishery in Tainan, Taiwan.

Toshiba said in a press release that the consortium has already secured a long-term PPA for the project from an unspecified semiconductor manufacturer. It has not indicated the precise location of the planned facility.

“The Solar Fishery Symbiosis project started construction in August this year and is scheduled to supply renewable energy at the end of 2024,” said the Japanese company. “Photon and Ark have plans to construct and supply an additional 360 MW project bringing the total supply capacity of renewable energy to 480 MW.”

Toshiba said the PV system will be installed on the rooftop of the fishery infrastructure, but it did not provide any additional technical details.

Developers of huge solar parks in Taiwan still face resistance from the government, other industrial players, and the farming sector. In Taiwan, just like in neighboring South Korea, land shortages are a big issue for solar deployment, as roughly two-thirds of the island is mountainous.

The Taiwanese government aims to install 20 GW of solar by 2025, with 3 GW of rooftop PV and 17 GW of ground-mounted capacity. According to the latest statistics from the International Renewable Energy Agency, the island had around 9.2 GW of total installed PV capacity at the end of 2022.