Representatives from solar energy system companies in Taiwan staged a protest at the Bureau of Energy to voice their disapproval of the lack of transparency in Taiwan Power Company's (Taipower) on-grid approval process. The Bureau of Energy was mandated by the Taiwan government to oversee the implementation of the Renewable Energy Development Act, which includes the recently passed feed-in-tariff (FIT) for solar energy systems. However, since the legislature's enactment on January 1, 2010, the bureau has received 59MWp worth of solar energy system applications, yet only 3.21MWp have been approved by Taipower to be included in its power grid, according to the solar system companies. Only solar energy systems that pass Taipower's inspection are eligible to apply for the subsidy. However, the inspection and approval processes remains opaque and inefficient, the companies said. They hope that the bureau and Taipower could clarify the process and post the criteria and necessary paperwork on official websites. The bureau said that a clarified process will be released next week. Since the government is expected to reduce the FIT rate in 2011, system installers in Taiwan are hoping to have their projects approved prior to the subsidy cut. Taipower is a state-owned public utility company under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). It is the only integrated power company in Taiwan.Taiwan market: Solar system companies protest opaque Taipower approval process
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