Taipei: Large new buildings with a floor area of more than 1,000 square meters will be required to install rooftop solar panels beginning August 1, as part of efforts to reduce carbon emissions and pollution, Vice Economics Minister Lai Chien-hsin announced Thursday.

According to Focus Taiwan, the regulation is one of several green energy measures planned for 2026. These initiatives include expanding household rooftop solar installations to add 200 megawatts of capacity within the year. Lai disclosed these developments at the sixth National Climate Change Committee meeting.

The government is also set to enhance offshore wind financing guarantees to NT$156 billion (US$4.9 billion). Additionally, NT$400 million will be allocated for 20 community-scale disaster-resilient projects, with another NT$1.5 billion designated for industrial-scale energy storage.

Lai noted progress in reducing emissions, highlighting that the emissions coefficient for power generation has been decreasing since 2023, with an estimated reduction to 0.459 by 2025. Air pollutant emissions from the Taichung and Hsingta power plants have reportedly dropped by 80 percent since 2016.

In 2025, Taiwan added 2.6 gigawatts of green energy capacity and achieved energy savings of 10.895 million kilowatt-hours. This achievement is equivalent to the annual generation of two coal-fired units at Dalin Power Plant. The nationwide energy storage capacity has also increased to 1.8 gigawatts, marking a 50 percent rise from 2024.

Regarding carbon emissions reduction in the manufacturing sector, Lai estimated that the emissions in 2025 were 138 million metric tons, staying below the target of 144 million tons. Looking forward, he mentioned the introduction of artificial intelligence in 2026 to enhance energy efficiency, aiming to reduce emissions to 117.4 million tons by 2030.