Cabinet approves subsidy plan for rooftop solar panels

Taipei, Dec. 5 (CNA) The Executive Yuan on Thursday approved a plan that will offer subsidies of up to NT$300,000 (US$9,257) to install rooftop solar panels on private residential buildings.

According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), the program, known as the "Residential Rooftop Solar Energy Installation Acceleration Plan," is intended for private residential buildings with a rooftop surface area of under 1,000 square meters.

It will allow applicants -- either the building owner or a solar energy company -- to apply for cash rebates equivalent to NT$3,000 per kilowatt of installed capacity, or a maximum of NT$300,000 for an entire project, the ministry said in a report to the Cabinet.

The program will run from 2025 through 2028 with a total budget of NT$4.08 billion. While the funds will be disbursed by the MOEA, the program will be administered by local governments, according to the report.

The scheme is expected to lead to NT$72 billion in additional solar energy investments and will benefit around 120,000 households, the ministry said.

The ministry said the program will use a simplified application process, in which local governments will be encouraged to process the registration of new solar panels together with subsidy applications.

Only five types of documents will be required, namely the subsidy application form, the applicant's ID card, the solar panel registration form, a receipt of purchase, and a copy of the applicant's bankbook, the MOEA said.

At a press conference, Energy Administration Director-General Yu Cheng-wei (游振偉) said the program is intended to complement existing solar energy subsidies offered by local governments.

Local solar energy subsidies vary by place. For instance, New Taipei offers rebates of NT$15,000 per KW of installed capacity on systems of up to 10 KW, while Taichung offers NT$5,000 to NT$10,000 per KW and Kaohsiung offers NT$6,000 to NT$12,000.

Rooftop solar panels currently cost NT$55,000 to NT$60,000 per kilowatt of installed capacity, Yu said.

According to the MOEA, Taiwan currently has around 13.82 gigawatts of installed solar power capacity, of which 8.76 GW, or 63 percent, comes from rooftop solar power systems.

Taiwan plans to increase its installed solar power capacity to 20 GW by 2026 and 31 GW by 2030, the ministry said.

In 2023, renewable energy sources accounted for 9.5 percent of Taiwan's total electricity generation.

Solar energy accounted for around half of the energy generated from renewables, or between 4 and 5 percent of total electricity generation, MOEA data showed.