Does anyone know how far along Taiwan is regarding ethanol production? I’ve read that Taiwan is looking into this but am not sure at what stage the country is in.
Also, what will be the crop of choice for Taiwan? It seems to me that sugar cane would be the logical choice since this is something that grows well here and since much can be learned (imported) from Brazil.
(I’m thinking about buying some farmland in my wife’s hometown in case anyone’s curious why I want to know this stuff.)
I don’t think ethanol or biodiesel has caught on here in TW. I know there is a lot of research going on in China, and perhaps Thailand. China just hosted a conference on biodiesel. I am no expert on the matter but have learned a bit from my late father whom was and expert and involved in biodiesel projects in the US. As far as investing in property to get returns from biodiesel production I wouldnt know where to start with issues of say bio-desiel yield per area, per crop, cost of production… etc. (you can also Google “Bio-Willie,” Willie Nelson!) From my knowledge there are no biodiesel production plants in TW. However, a good place to start would be in to look for a contact in the USA. There are are a few biodiesel plants in Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas, corn, being the major crop. PM me for contact information if you wish.
They’ve had a year-long trial in Chiayi County collecting waste cooking oil to be used to make biodiesel, which is to be extended to the whole country with the aim of making all diesel sold in Taiwan from June 2008 contain a certain percentage of biodiesel. So the interest is definitely there.
I’ve found out since my original post that subsidies may be available for each hectare of land used to grow crops for ethanol. The amount is quite low. Hopefully there is more than one avenue for subsidies or the existing one will be increased. I’ve also learned that sweet potatos and sugar cane seem to be what are most seriously being considered in Taiwan for ethanol production.
I’ll definitely contact you if I get a bit more serious about this.
I dont know about making ethanol fuel but I know people here sure drink a lot of them (even while driving)
that is the only kind of ethanol TW drivers put in their cars… they just mess up where to put it…