Energy Democracy and Energy Transition in Taiwan

Abstract

The issue of post-carbon energy transition has received growing attention worldwide for several decades. Being one of the top 20 CO2 emitters in the world, Taiwan embarked on energy transitions in 2016 as a key strategy to address the climate change issue as well as to enhance its energy security. Moreover, it also plans to phase out nuclear power by 2025. The overall policy goal focuses not only on the energy technology shift, but also industrial structure transformation and environmental benefit improvement. This chapter outlines the energy transition from a multilevel governance perspective to explore prime movers, and the changing power relationships between central and local governments in implementing the transition in Taiwan. How has the current energy system been protected by the status quo? In what policy agendas has the energy transition been addressed through the current energy structures? What are the major obstacles for governments to achieve more effective energy governance? What institutional transitions might be required? This Chapter discusses why the political dimension is critical when it comes to post-carbon energy actions and how energy governance adapts to these challenges.

Politics of climate change mitigation in Taiwan: International isolation, developmentalism legacy, and civil society responses

“…Furthermore, the guiding policy document “White Paper on Energy Transition,” released in November 2020, was a product of public deliberation involving industries, government, academia, NGOs, and the general public. As Lin and Cheng (2022) note, there are initiatives to promote energy democracy—striving to incorporate democratic practice during energy transition—across central, local, and community levels.…”