The Subsidy-Based Solar Energy Policy in Taiwan

ABSTRACT

There are five major factors affecting the adoption of renewable energy for the households in Taiwan: price, environmental consciousness, education, geography, and building density. However, although people usually tend to be environment-friendly, the price is still the major concern for households in considering the adoption of renewable energy equipments. Therefore, subsidies have become the major policy instrument to promote household installation of renewable energy devices. This study takes the case of the solar water heaters (SWHs) as an example of how Taiwan subsidizes households to adopt renewable energy equipments.