The Jhuzimen Hydro Power Plant (竹仔門發電廠) was built by the colonial Japanese authorities in 1908 -- in what's now Meinung District (美濃區), Kaohsiung City. Manuel Tsao is a German national in the renewable energy business who has lived in Taiwan for over 15 years. But before coming here, he spent time in Japan -- and speaks Japanese fluently. And, while in Japan, Manuel became somewhat of an expert on the Jhuzimen Hydro Power Plant -- now called the Jhumen Unit of Kaohsiung/Ping-tung Power Plant of Taiwan Power Company (高屏發電廠竹門機組). Hear the story of this still-operating power plant, and learn a bit more about renewable energy in Taiwan from Manuel, in this special Formosa Files INTERVIEW.
Cover (and all images below) via the Kaohsiung City Government
For info on how to get there and more click HERE.
1. The turbines
2. Harnessing the power of gravity + water
3. Meinung District, Kaohsiung City
Want to learn more about the potential for underwater currents to power the future? Check out THIS YouTube site.
Check our very first episode, the story of a very white man who showed up in London in 1703... and claimed to be from Formosa. Or try a foodie episode from Season 3. Or, for those who want some harder-core history, hear the tale of the Lockheed U-2 pilot Wang Hsi-chueh 王錫爵, who became was famous for defecting to the PRC by hijacking China Airlines Flight 334 on May 3, 1986.