Waste-to-energy for circular low-carbon society in Taiwan: a case study

Taiwan is a developed nation with a high dependence (97.4%) on imported energy in 2021. Thus, the Taiwan government established the energy policy and regulatory incentives for promoting waste-to-energy (WTE) in recent years. In this work, the updated analysis of energy supply during the period of 2000–2021 in Taiwan was performed by using the national reports and/or official statistics, especially in the operational efficiencies of municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration plants. Through revamping projects and operational improvements in the past decade, the power generation from MSW incineration plants has increased from 3,076 GWh in 2011 to 3,404 GWh in 2021. The overall energy efficiencies thus indicated an increasing trend from 16.65% in 2011 to 18.44% in 2021. On the other hand, the policies and regulatory incentives for promoting energy supply from waste (e.g., solid recovered fuel and recycled fuel oil) and the “Taiwan’s Pathway to Net-Zero Emissions in 2050” were addressed in response to international trends like the “2050 Carbon Neutrality Plan” in Korea and the “2050 Carbon Neutrality Declaration” in Japan. These relevant acts, including Renewable Energy Development Act, have recently revised to echo Taiwan’s sustainable development goals in the waste management sector by 2030.