Taiwan proposes rooftop PV mandate for big buildings

The Taiwanese government says that under a new policy proposal, new buildings and renovations above 1,000 square meters would need to install solar panels. The authorities claim that the rules could take effect after a public consultation period.

Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior (MOI) has released a draft regulation requiring solar installations on new buildings and renovations exceeding 1,000 square meters, with exemptions for certain structures.

The proposal, which is open for public comment until April 22, is aligned with Taiwan’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, according to the government.

Under the terms of the draft proposal, buildings that meet the threshold would be expected install at least 1 kW of solar capacity per 20 square meters. Solar panels could be placed on rooftops, awnings, or the ground to meet this requirement.

The Taiwanese government said that unlike previous versions of the proposal that calculated solar obligations based on rooftop area, the new draft bases them on a building’s first-floor area. It claimed that this effectively expands the scope of the mandate.

Four types of buildings would be exempt: religious and funeral structures, facilities handling hazardous materials, buildings with insufficient sunlight, and cases qualifying for “special circumstance” exemptions with supporting documentation. The mandate would set minimum annual power generation standards ranging from 543 kWh to 625 kWh, depending on a region’s solar potential.

The government said that failure to comply with the proposed requirements would prevent construction and occupancy permits from being issued. The MOI said it will review feedback over the next 60 days before finalizing the regulation, after which the Executive Yuan, Taiwan's executive branch, will determine its implementation date.

In December 2024, Taiwan launched a $126 million rebate program to support small rooftop PV systems, offering up to TWD 300,000 ($9,150) per project for systems up to 3 kW. The program aims to deploy PV systems for at least 120,000 households from 2025 to 2028.

In January 2025, Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MoEA) plans to install 8.2 GW of solar and offshore wind capacity by the end of 2026 as part of its strategy to reach a 20 GW solar target by 2026. The MoEA also said it will maintain feed-in tariffs for small solar systems to support deployment.

The MoEA stated earlier this year that it additionally plans to maintain feed-in tariffs for solar systems up to 10 kW at TWD 5.7055/kWh, in order to support future deployment.