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Experts urge Taiwan
to use its marine resources
BOUNTY OF THE SEA: Scientists cited as an
example the power of the Kuroshio Current, which if harnessed could produce
enough electricity to replace nuclear power
By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
Marine experts yesterday said the geographical and geological features of the
oceans surrounding Taiwan give it advantageous natural resources, such as a
strong sea current with which it could generate electricity.
During a press conference held at the National Science Council, Gong Gwo-ching
(ÅÇ°ê¼y), a professor with the National Taiwan Ocean University¡¦s (NTOU) Institute
of Marine Environmental Chemistry and Ecology, stressed the fundamental
importance of marine scientific research in improving knowledge of global
climate change and national resources.
Gong said approximately NT$300 million (US$10 million) is spent on marine
science research every year in Taiwan ¡X which is not much compared with what is
spent on many other high-tech industries ¡X yet the ocean contains knowledge
critical to understanding global environmental issues and that could be of
enormous economic value.
¡§The ocean takes up 71 percent of the Earth¡¦s surface and also absorbs carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere, contributing to global climatic and weather
regulations,¡¨ Gong said,
Citing the results of some marine research projects as an example, such as
uncovering the positive impact of typhoons and sandstorms in increasing the
ocean¡¦s level of carbon dioxide absorption and the amount of organisms and fish,
and the discovery of methane hydrate ice ¡X a natural gas resource ¡X under the
sea near Greater Kaohsiung, Gong said the government should treasure the
uniqueness of Taiwan¡¦s marine environment.
Director of NTOU¡¦s Research Center for Ocean Energy and Strategies Hsu Tai-wen
(³\®õ¤å) said although the amount of usable methane hydrate ice is still unclear, a
research project to deep drill in the area has been planned so as to give a more
precise estimate of the total amount and evaluate whether it can be extracted.
In addition, Gong said the speed of the swiftly flowing Kuroshio Current 50m
below the sea¡¦s surface is about 100cm per second, which is far above the 50cm
per second needed for a turbine generator to operate steadily, therefore this
resource could be developed to generate electricity.
Yang Tsan-yao (·¨Àé³ó), a professor of geochemistry at National Taiwan University (NTU)
said a research project led by NTU in cooperation with NTOU is already
conducting experiments with underwater current turbine generators in a
laboratory, with the goal of setting up turbine clusters in the ocean outside
near Taitung County and Green Island (ºñ®q), where the Kuroshio Current flows.
The goal of the experiment in the coming four years is to generate up to 30
megawatts from the turbine generators. It has been estimated that if the method
works efficiently, a commercial power plant may be able to generate up to 10
gigawatts ¡X equivalent to two nuclear power plants, Yang said.
However, the experiment is still at its initial stage and the current turbine
generator in the laboratory can only generate kilowatts of electricity at this
point, he added.
Gong said the government should place marine science research at the level of
national security, conceive of it as policy and also initiate cross-ministerial
research projects.
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