A Decarbonization Roadmap for Taiwan and Its Energy Policy Implications

The objective of this paper is to propose a decarbonization roadmap for Taiwan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 by analyzing the status of fossil and non-fossil energies, screening applicable decarbonization technologies for their effectiveness, and then proposing an energy mix for the future. The novelty of this work lies in the screening process, which considers six, instead of one or two, categories: sustainability, security, affordability, reliability, technology readiness, and technology impact. Based on this screening, a decarbonization roadmap is proposed and compared with the announced net-zero emissions (NZE) plan. The proposed roadmap requires renewable electricity to grow at an average annual growth rate of 7% between now and 2050, instead of the 10.1% required by the NZE plan, which is more achievable based on issues identified with renewable energies during our screening exercise. The proposed roadmap improves on the NZE plan in the following aspects: (1) using clean coal technologies to decarbonize existing coal-fired power plants, (2) relying more on gas than wind and solar energies to replace coal and nuclear energy for power generation, (3) accelerating carbon capture and storage (CCS) implementation, (4) delaying the phaseout of nuclear energy until 2050, and (5) using blue instead of green hydrogen to decarbonize the transport and industry sectors. Implications of this roadmap for future research and development and energy policies are also discussed.

Automated summary

The paper proposes a decarbonization roadmap for Taiwan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. It analyzes the status of fossil and non-fossil energies, screens applicable decarbonization technologies, and proposes an energy mix for the future. The roadmap improves on the announced net-zero emissions plan by suggesting a more achievable growth rate for renewable electricity and recommending measures such as clean coal technologies, increased reliance on gas, accelerated carbon capture and storage, delayed phaseout of nuclear energy, and the use of blue hydrogen for decarbonizing transport and industry sectors.