Yesterday, the German Institute in Taiwan (DIT), the German Economic Office, and civil society groups held the "2023 Taiwan Sustainability Summit." The summit focused on the current global wave of digital transformation and net-zero transitions, calling on Taiwan to accelerate transformation across all sectors and utilize digital tools to support net-zero transitions. Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Tseng Wen-sheng echoed this sentiment, stating that future power grids and industries will require smarter dispatching models, and that the ministry will continue to support digital transformation efforts.
Taiwan and Germany join forces to accelerate global "dual transformation"
Taiwan and Germany are working together to promote net zero emissions. The German Institute in Taiwan, the German Economic Office, and the Taiwan Sustainable Energy Research Foundation held the "2023 Taiwan Sustainability Summit," inviting representatives from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taipower, Taiwan Railways Administration, and other domestic and foreign industries, governments, and academia to discuss Taiwan's transformation progress.
Experts at the conference focused on the trends of "digitalization" and "net-zero emissions." Organizers noted that climate change is an indisputable fact, and digitalization is a global phenomenon. Both present unprecedented challenges to countries and businesses, while also creating abundant opportunities. They urged Taiwan, as a leading semiconductor nation, to accelerate digital transformation and net-zero transitions across all sectors and adapt quickly to ensure the sustainable development of the nation, economy, and industry.
The organizers suggested that technology is the best weapon to seize opportunities and respond to challenges during the transformation process. To achieve the dual transformation goals, it is necessary to combine the virtual and physical worlds under the premise of information security, build a complete partnership and ecosystem, cleverly respond to the complex tasks of transformation, face time pressure, and focus on the bulk carbon emissions field to respond immediately to the challenges of net zero transformation.
Minister of Digital Development Tang Feng also pledged through a pre-recorded video that the Ministry of Digital Development will fully assist various industries in their digital transformation and use digital tools to achieve digital resilience for all.
Digitalization saves electricity, not wastes it. Smart grids are inevitable.
Representatives from various sectors in Taiwan and Germany unanimously emphasized the inextricable connection between digitalization and net-zero efforts, emphasizing that digitalization should be considered a key tool in the net-zero transition. Erdal Elver, President and CEO of Siemens Taiwan, stated that data analysis and intelligence can improve efficiency and optimize traffic flow. Roughly speaking, digitalization can save 50% of raw materials, 30% of energy, and 30% of traffic capacity.
Concerns are growing that various digital devices will increase electricity demand, raising questions about whether current power supply systems can adapt to the digital transformation of various industries. Zeng Wensheng emphasized that digitalization does not necessarily lead to high energy consumption. Digital transformation is a behavioral change. For example, people have become accustomed to keeping their phones with them all the time. For businesses, digital tools can improve energy efficiency.
Taipower spokesperson Wu Jinzhong further explained that Taipower is achieving its net zero goal by developing zero-carbon and low-carbon energy sources. However, renewable energy is intermittent. As photovoltaic penetration increases, artificial intelligence can be used to build a photovoltaic prediction and forecasting system. This system collects information from distributed photovoltaic sites, calculates and estimates power generation at different times, and combines it with weather and solar radiation information to identify trends, prepare for power supply, and schedule unit deployment. Compared to traditional grid planning, smart grids and grids based on digital big data analysis are more compatible with renewable energy.
Source: Environmental Information Center (https://e-info.org.tw/node/236307)
