Taiwan opens Qingshui Geothermal Education Center
Qingshui geothermal park, Yilan County/ Taiwan (source: flickr/ Wei-Te Wong, creative commons)
Carlo Cariaga
31 Jan 2024
The government of Yilan County in Taiwan has opened the Qingshui Geothermal Education Center, helping spread awareness on the benefits of geothermal energy.
The Yilan County Government has officially opened the Qingshui Geothermal Education Center, located right next to the Qingshui Geothermal Recreation Area in Yilan County, Taiwan. The education center has been completed after two years of construction and investment of nearly 30 million yuan (approx. USD 4.23 million) from private entities.
The Geothermal Education Center is divided into a geothermal exploration exhibition hall and a generator control room. The generator room display area recounts the history of geothermal power generation, processes and equipment, the benefits of geothermal, and Taiwan’s geothermal resources. The facility provides bilingual support.
There are also interactive exhibits that that shows the actual operation and power production of a generator through a glass window, providing tourists a glimpse into how geothermal energy is converted into electricity.
For the first month of operations, visitors to the Qingshui Geothermal Education Center will be able to use their ticket to enjoy a free bathing experience at the Qingshui Hot Spring House. The reverse also applies – tickets to the Hot Spring House provides access to the Education Center. There will also be special events and activities to celebrate the arrival of the Lunar New Year.
The opening of the Qingshui Geothermal Education Center making Qingshui the first recreational park in Taiwan that combines geothermal education and tourism. Yilan County Mayor Lin Zimiao said that the Qingshui Geothermal Park has always been very popular among tourists. Now, tourists can learn more about geothermal while enjoying boiled eggs and foot baths in the hot springs. The Education Center adds diversified value to a geothermal site, creating more awareness on geothermal and making further development possible.
The 4.2-MW Qingshui geothermal power plant – the first MW-scale geothermal development in Taiwan in the last 30 years – was officially inaugurated in late 2021. Before the end of 2023, the Qingshui power facility hit the milestone of 38 million kWh of power generation, supplying 75% of the demand of nearby communities.
Source: Epoch Times and China Times
