Wutai Village Solar Power Generation

Where is Wutai Village?

Wutai Village has been home to the Rukai people (one of 16 indigenous peoples in Taiwan) for centuries. It is one of the six villages and the township office location of Wutai Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan ( Figure 1 ).

Why did Wutai Village lose its traditional farming lands?

Wutai Village experienced a sharp decline in the coverage of traditional farming lands since 1960s, which was influenced by difficult access to markets, small-scale farming, extreme weather, poor infrastructure, and labor shortage.

How many people live in Wutai Village?

The most recent official record shows that Wutai Village comprises 418 households and 1320 residents [ 32] compared to 1025 residents recorded in 1956 [ 33 ]. The population is primarily distributed in three small settlements—Wutai, Kabalalradhane, and Kudrengere ( Figure 1 )—that can further be divided into 15 sub-settlements [ 34 ].

How much power can a rural PV system generate?

Assuming an average household PV installed capacity of 20 KW, the total capacity of the rural household PV could reach 1000 GW, with a market value of more than 3 trillion CNY, equivalent to 45 Three Gorges Reservoir power stations, and saving 40 million mu of land, and generating 350,000 jobs [64, 153].

What is traditional farming in Wutai Village?

Traditional farming in Wutai Village has shown characteristics of adaptive capacity and become manifested in environmentally friendly practices, self-sufficiency, adaptability to environmental and climate change, and links with local culture and development.

Do Wutai farmers have a zoning system?

Wutai farmers have developed a zoning system for different land uses. Similar practices have been reported for traditional farmers in the Himalayas and Mexico [ 48, 49, 50 ].