To deepen local sustainability practices and enhance public energy literacy, the “Project LET’S Go!” The University Social Responsibility (USR) team of Taiwan Tech recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the TAIWAN POWER COMPANY Tungpu Hydro Power Plant, establishing a long-term strategic partnership. The two parties will engage in comprehensive collaboration in areas including green energy education, knowledge translation on electricity, revitalization of learning sites, and audiovisual documentation. Together, they aim to build an educational model centered on the core values of “Local Engagement × Citizen Science × Sustainable Action.”

“Spark+ for Common Good and Taipower’s Eastern Power Plant held the “Tongmen Elementary Summer School: Saving Energy Starts with Me” program.

This collaboration originated from the “Project LET’S Go!” team’s 2023 science summer school at Hualien Dowmung Elementary School. Initially focused on language and robotics instruction, the program sparked the team’s strong interest in exploring local energy contexts and cultural roots after noticing the close connections between campus life and Taipower facilities. With the support and facilitation of Tongmen Elementary School, an exchange opportunity with Taipower’s Eastern Power Plant was established.

Project LET’S Go! Project leader Ying Wang (left) and Taipower Eastern Power Plant Director Chung-Yi Lee (right) signed the MOU.

The opportunity for exchange began with the enthusiastic tour and explanations provided by TAIWAN POWER COMPANY Tungpu Hydro Power Plant, along with the gracious treat of the “Longjian Power Plant Popsicle” - a moment of laughter and refreshment that brought everyone closer together and laid the groundwork for future visits to Taipower’s Chuying and Rongshu units. Through on-site lectures by engineers, Taiwan Tech students gained more profound insights into hydropower generation mechanisms and grid operation principles, establishing a solid foundation for subsequent energy education and teaching material development.

Hydropower Science Class at Tongmen Elementary Summer School, Hualien 2025

Wannie Wang, project leader of Taiwan Tech’s “Project LET’S Go!” initiative, stated, “Through our collaboration with Taipower, we hope to build a bridge from engineering sites to indigenous classrooms, allowing children to plant the seeds of sustainability and science in a stress-free learning environment.”

Where Is Green Energy? - Activity at Tongmen Elementary Summer School, Hualien 2025

The Project LET’S Go! team believes that the value of education lies not only in knowledge transmission but also in translation and innovation. Drawing on their interdisciplinary expertise, Taiwan Tech students transformed electricity principles into an interactive teaching tool called “Energy Monopoly”. What began as a small-scale checkpoint activity has evolved into a massive sustainability game board stretching several meters, covering wind power, hydropower, and grid logic. Using methods such as blowing ping-pong balls to simulate wind power and plastic bottles to demonstrate hydropower generation, the activity enables children to experience the tangible transformation of abstract energy concepts through play.

Team members visited the Tongmen Mugua River Story House to learn about hydropower.

For two consecutive years, (Director Li, Chong-Yi Ph.D. of TAIWAN POWER COMPANY Tungpu Hydro Power Plant, has personally taken part in school activities and actively offered suggestions for improving teaching materials, such as incorporating advanced energy issues like carbon credits and green energy labeling. At the same time, both parties have worked together to revitalize the Mugua River Story House, installing interactive exhibits - including retired turbine guide vanes and operational models - so that children can explore the world of energy through touch, sound, and inquiry.

Following the signing of the MOU, Taiwan Tech and Taipower’s Eastern Power Plant will jointly promote the “Local Power and Cultural Video Documentation Project”. The initiative will invite Tongmen Elementary students, parents, and Taipower engineers to co-create stories through filming and narration. With the Mugua River, Mt. Qilai, and power engineering as its backdrop, the project will weave together Indigenous culture, sustainability education, and public awareness of energy to build a localized energy memory bank.

The “Project LET’S Go!” project, one of Taiwan Tech’s University Social Responsibility (USR) initiatives, integrates expertise in design, engineering, and education. Guided by the dual pillars of technological innovation and cultural co-creation, it is dedicated to nurturing energy literacy and scientific competence among children in rural communities. By localizing knowledge and promoting educational equity, the project injects new momentum into society’s pursuit of sustainable development.

2025 Tongmen Elementary Summer School achievement presentation, Hualien