Taiwan prison aims to jump-start island's solar power breakout

Pingtung, Taiwan

ON PINGTUNG jail's sunlit roof, prisoner No 24 has a view of a brighter future. Ex-cop Chen, serving time for graft, is learning how to install solar panels in a programme that's part of Taiwan's shimmering vision of a future without nuclear power.

The 48-year-old is working on a project that has seen the southern Taiwan prison become the first to send solar power into the island's electricity grid. "I should be out in two to three years," said Chen, whose full name cannot be disclosed under prison rules, "this should help (in finding a future job)."

Things are looking up for Chen, selected for the solar team on good behaviour. But with a capacity of 1.8 megawatts, enough to supply power to 639 average Taiwanese households for a year, the drop-in-the-ocean …