Taiwan’s largest solar park in Changhua County begins to contribute to national electricity grid

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/10/22
By: Scott Morgan, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s biggest solar park, located in Changhua County (彰化縣), began producing electricity at 12.04 p.m. today, integrating 14 MW of a total capacity of 100 MW into Taiwan’s electricity grid.

Taiwan Power Company (Taipower, 台灣電力公司) said that construction of the 140 hectare site will be completed in February 2019, and has the potential to power 30,000 households.

The site is located in Changhua Coastal Industrial Park (彰濱工業區), and the site was chosen because Changhua County is believed to have the greatest quantity of sunshine, according to Taipower.

Taipower will invest NT$6.2 billion (US$200 million) into the site, and construction has employed thousands. The solar park makes use of “smart” photovoltaic cells and is the first site to have both energy creation and energy storage capabilities, reports said.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/10/22
By: Lee Hsin-Yin 

Taipei, Oct. 22 (CNA) The driver of the derailed Puyuma express reported problems with the train’s power system several times before the accident on Sunday afternoon, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) confirmed Monday.

The driver had reported unusually low pressure from the air compressor, which controls the power system, said Lai Sui-chin (賴隨金), deputy head of the TRA’s Rolling Stock Department.

When the pressure is too low, power supply to the train can fluctuate, Lai explained, adding that such a malfunction is rare.

“The driver reported the problem many times as the train traveled between Toucheng and Jiaoxi stations,” Lai said, but added that the glitch should have been fixed because the train was serviced by technicians when it stopped at Yilan Station.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 23, 2018 
By: Chien Hui-ju, Chiang Chih-hsiung and Sherry Hsiao  /  Staff reporters, with staff writer

Students, teachers and wedding guests were among those killed in the derailment of

Puyuma Express No. 6432 on Sunday.

The eastbound train derailed at 4:50pm near the Sinma (新馬) Train Station in Yilan County with 366 passengers onboard, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) said.

It was carrying a group of 20 students from Taitung’s Peinan Junior High School’s judo and baseball teams, as well as their principal, Yu Shu-chu (游數珠), three teachers and a tour guide, Chu Yung-chao (朱永照).

They had departed for an event in South Korea on Wednesday last week and were returning from the trip when the derailment happened.   [FULL  STORY]

American woman, 43, among the injured

WFMZ-TV News
Date: Oct 21, 2018
By: Yong Xiong reported from Beijing, Sheena McKenzie wrote in London

(CNN) – At least 18 people have been killed and 178 others injured after a train derailed in Yilan County in northeastern Taiwan, according to an update from the island’s transport ministry.

Initially, the ministry said 22 people died, but it later revised the number.

The train was traveling between the cities of Shulin and Taitung when it derailed Sunday on a coastal line reportedly popular with tourists.

The train was carrying 366 passengers when the accident occurred just before 5 p.m. local time, the transport ministry said.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News  
Date: 2018/10/21
By:  Central News Agency

Taiwanese documentaries claimed both the first and second places in the features and shorts categories of the 11th Chinese Documentary Festival in Hong Kong.

“Father (紅盒子),” directed by Yang Li-chou (楊力州), won the best feature film, which tells the story of the father-and-son relationship of puppet master Li Tien-lu (李天祿).

There were two runners-up in the features category this year, won by “Love Talk (幸福定格)” and “The Family in Sinkhole (天坑人家).” The former, made by Shen Ko-shang (沈可尚), puts marital relationships into focus, while the latter is directed by Yao Zubiao (姚祖彪) from China, showing the cross-generation conflict caused by tourism in a small village in China’s Yunnan Province.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/10/21
By: Pan Tzi-yu and Elizabeth Hsu 

Taipei, Oct. 21 (CNA) State-run oil refiner CPC Corp., Taiwan revealed on Sunday that the quality of some of its 95 unleaded octane gasoline supplied by its refinery in Taoyuan was substandard.

The company said measures have been taken to control the damage, including the suspension of sales and provisions for compensation for affected customers.

CPC called a press conference earlier in the day to reveal that the gasoline supplied by the Taoyuan refinery to three CPC pumps in northern Taiwan failed to pass quality tests during the company’s irregular spot checks at its gas stations around the country Oct. 16.

A probe was then launched, which found that the substandard gasoline was the result of an unstable additive produced at the refinery, CPC said, adding that the refinery also discovered an output problem on Oct. 1, Oct. 9 and Oct. 10.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan English News
Date: October 19, 2018 
By: Phillip Charlier  

A man in Taoyuan City killed his own mother last night, then decapitated the body and threw the head into the community courtyard from their 12th floor apartment.

The 33 year-old man named Liang, who has criminal records for drugs, intimidation and fraud offences, quarreled with his 67 year-old mother at around 7:00pm last night. High on amphetamines, Liang flew into a rage and stabbed his mother to death with a kitchen knife. Police said that their were dozens of knife wounds on the body.

Liang then cut off his mother’s head, walked to the master bedroom balcony, and tossed it into the courtyard of the gated community. Liang also tossed items of furniture and other objects from the balcony.

Police arrested Liang and subjected him to a urine test, which returned a positive reaction for amphetamines. A blood test came up negative for alcohol. Police said that it is likely that Liang, who is unemployed, had tried to get money from his mother to support his drug addiction.

Three knives were seized at evidence from the scene of the crime last night, including a machete, which was also thrown out of the apartment. A fourth knife was found 14 hours later in the courtyard of the community.    [FULL  STORY]

Astronomical event could be Kaohsiung’s version of ‘Manhattanhenge’

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/10/20
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Kaohsiung residents can expect to be wowed by a spectacular sunset on Nov. 11, forecast to occur at 5:15 pm on the day, according to Central Weather Bureau.

Qingnian 1st Road (青年一路) will be sealed off between section Minquan 1stRoad and Weiren Street from 4 pm to 6 pm to allow for a better and safer viewing experience for the solar phenomenon, Tourism Bureau of Kaohsiung said in a statement.

Kaohsiung shares a street grid pattern similar to that of Manhattan, NY, where twice per year the setting sun or the rising sun is aligned with the east-west streets of the city, creating a stunning spectacle dubbed as “Manhattanhenge” as the sun is framed by illuminated towering skyscrapers.    [FULL  STORY]