Vena Energy's Chiayi solar farm wins Taiwan award

Vena Energy's 70.2 MWp solar plant in Yizhu, Chiayi County, has won an operations and maintenance prize at Taiwan's first Outstanding Diversified Green Energy Awards, Taiwan Times reported on November 2. The site, run under the name Taiwan Aigui Solar, took the Outstanding Operations and Maintenance Award in the solar photovoltaic category.

The awards are organised by the Energy Administration under the Ministry of Economic Affairs. They recognise renewable energy developers and operators for their results and for their contribution to the sector and to Taiwan's goal of net-zero emissions. The Yizhu plant has been connected to the grid since 2019. It was the first solar plant in Taiwan to gain TÜV Rheinland certification under the international photovoltaic system standard IEC 62446-1.

Lee Wen-cheng, chief executive of Vena Energy Taiwan, said the company was honoured to receive the inaugural award. He said it recognised years of high safety standards that had kept the plant running reliably. He added that the group wanted its power plants to supply clean electricity and also to serve as shared spaces linking local communities, ecology and education.

The company said it keeps equipment reliable and output stable through smart monitoring, preventive maintenance and standardised procedures. Wang Peng-tai, the company's operations and maintenance director, said the work goes beyond fixing faults. He said it also covers routine monitoring, preventive management and continual improvement across the plant's working life.

About 30% of the site is set aside as an ecological reserve. Staff cut vegetation regularly without using chemicals, and the original drainage system and natural ground base have been kept to limit soil erosion. Nearby fish farms can still release pond water into the channels around the plant, as they did before it was built.

Since 2020, Vena Energy has run a green energy and ecology education centre at the site. The centre has received more than 5,000 visitors, including students on school trips run with local schools.

The plant's design includes protection against typhoons, flooding and heavy rain along the Chiayi coast. Typhoon Danas struck the site directly in 2025, and the plant resumed generating power once state utility Taipower had repaired external transmission lines.