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A Taipower tariff verification official stood beside a dried-up retention basin, frowning: "This isn't floating PV; it's ground-mounted, right?" That single question had the power to drastically alter the plant's Feed-in Tariff (FiT). Fortunately, a heavy downpour fell the next day, filling the basin overnight. Tens of thousands of solar panels floated up seamlessly on their pontoons. Justin Tsai, Chairman of SPE, and Co-founder Debbie Pi finally got heaven to testify for them. Yet long before that timely rain, the husband-and-wife duo had traveled a long path with no one to witness their efforts.

Two Paths, One Intersection

SPE’s origin spans two seemingly unrelated lives. Justin grew up in a textile family and entered the semiconductor industry after graduation. He served as a senior buyer at Delta Electronics and later joined ASML as Asian Project Management Manager for 15–16 years. The seeds of entrepreneurship were sown during his assignment in the Netherlands. Driving through Europe in 2008, he barely saw any solar roofs or wind turbines. Returning a few years later, solar panels covered rooftops and wind turbines lined the highways. "Europe and the US are moving faster than Taiwan. This is the direction Taiwan must eventually take," he realized—envisioning the trend well before renewable energy took off back home.

A family investment finalized his decision. His second elder brother invested early in a small rooftop solar system. Even their father doubted it, suspecting that "getting paid for selling electricity to Taipower" was a scam. Only when his brother actually received the electricity payment check from Taipower did the family realize the business was real. Justin and two semiconductor engineering colleagues then formed the idea of launching a startup, researching solar raw material trading to enter this unfamiliar territory.

The other path belonged to Debbie Pi. Originally an occupational therapist, she later moved to the advanced medical equipment industry, promoting state-of-the-art neurosurgical robots. Right as she finished her training and was ready to train Taiwanese surgeons, her husband invited her to start a business together. "Healthcare helps individuals who are sick; renewable energy and zero-carbon solutions help the entire planet and future generations," Justin said, convincing her. After much deliberation, she set aside her past expertise and named her daughter Rossa—after the surgical robot—to honor that halted career phase. "I never gave up on that ideal; I just fulfilled it in a different way," she says with a smile.

From Industry Outsider to the Miracle on the Retention Basin

Entering a new industry always comes with a learning curve. "If you don't understand an industry, you'll inevitably be deceived and looked down upon," says Debbie. Renewable energy suffers from extreme information asymmetry. In the early days, they faced deceptive vendors and land brokers, and couldn't even tell if contractors were cutting corners. Consequently, she learned electrical wiring herself—not necessarily to do the manual labor, but to understand the technicalities and ask the right questions. Once contractors knew she was an expert, they couldn't mislead her. She also discovered that in an industry heavily driven by policy, leadership expertise relies less on tech alone and more on regulatory trends. This mastery drove SPE’s repeated transformations: from rooftop solar to large-scale ground-mounted systems, energy storage, circular economy, and further into biomass, hydrogen, and virtual power plants (VPP). Over more than a decade, Debbie traveled across Taiwan, developing over 200 renewable energy projects. Today, she serves as the founder and Chairperson of the Taiwan Green Energy Application Association (TAGET), advocating for the industry to the government.

Semiconductors and solar power seem like two different worlds, but they share the same underlying logic as extensions of silicon chips. While most peers entered from electrical or mechanical contracting, SPE leveraged a materials background, enforcing strict requirements on panel quality. Every panel is inspected, accepting only positive power tolerance and zero negative tolerance. Across tens of thousands of panels, this delivers significantly higher power generation than competitors. International networks built during Justin’s semiconductor days enabled this young startup to partner with European leaders like REC and SMA within a few years, introducing cutting-edge European tech to Taiwan. Facing much larger competitors, SPE secured major projects through technological differentiation.

The largest retention basin solar plant in Taiwan served as the ultimate test of these capabilities. Unlike standard rooftop installations, it required a high-voltage system and a self-built substation. As a floating PV system—a rare setup in Taiwan—it relied on imported French technology designed to withstand local typhoons and earthquakes. Justin notes they designed the system to withstand Category 17 gusts, far exceeding regulatory standards. When a severe typhoon struck later, blowing away around 150,000 solar panels across Taiwan, SPE's facility lost none. "In the face of extreme weather, you cannot predict what comes next." This philosophy was proven by that timely rainstorm and subsequent typhoons. Miraculous results stem from unseen preparation, not luck.

The Partnership: One Pushes, One Pulls

When a married couple co-founds a company, division of labor is shaped by personality rather than design. Debbie is outgoing and communicative, excelling in business development and negotiations. Justin is cautious; his project management training in semiconductors trained him to focus on details and risk. "Salespeople are always positive, seeing opportunities everywhere. I focus on where the risks lie," he says. Consequently, he often acts as the anchor.

This dynamic played out dramatically when Debbie secured a major contract worth over NT$700 million—a milestone that could have elevated the company to its next stage. However, Justin deemed the risk too high and ultimately declined the deal. "I was furious at the time," she admits. Years later, she acknowledges that taking the deal might have created unsustainable consequences. "Refusing this order wouldn't crash the company, but accepting the wrong order could trigger a crisis," Justin reflects. Over the years, they realized genuine corporate growth requires not only seizing opportunities, but also knowing when to pass. Exercising such restraint and discipline is often harder than pursuing raw growth.

Green Power: From Optional Choice to Market Ticket

For SPE, green power has never been a PR gimmick. "For brand supply chains and factories facing consumers directly, green power is already the entry ticket to securing future orders," Debbie points out. The EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), taking effect this year, has made this urgency real. Three years ago, ESG and green energy met indifference from executives; two years later, almost everyone agrees green power is critical and is actively exploring integration. With Taiwan’s per capita carbon emissions ranking among the highest in Asia and fossil fuels still exceeding 80% of power generation, this shift comes none too soon.

Crucially, renewable energy is not just a cost center. Installing solar panels on a 10,000-square-meter factory roof generates millions of NT dollars annually from Taipower—equivalent to a steady monthly cash flow of NT$500,000 under 20-year contracts, a yield difficult to match with commercial real estate leases. With industrial electricity rates rising four consecutive times—accumulating a 50% increase—one major manufacturer saw its annual electricity bill surge from NT$10 billion to NT$15 billion. In contrast, solar power costs around NT$2 per kWh with fixed rates. SPE further helps clients utilize energy storage to capture off-peak power at lower rates and dispatch it during peak hours, avoiding high peak tariffs. "Green energy, in reality, is the most pragmatic choice."

Whoever Controls Power Holds the Voice

Looking to the next decade, Justin and Debbie are positioning "energy" as their primary growth driver. In the AI era, computing power requires electrical power, and data centers demand clean, sustainable green energy. As global competition for AI intensifies, energy supply dictates the ceiling of industry growth. "Whoever controls power holds the voice," Justin remarks. With Taiwan's green energy supply still lagging, SPE is expanding overseas to develop solar, onshore, and offshore wind projects. They have also sent their 17-year-old child to Denmark—a country with a small population that generates high economic value through advanced green energy technology.

To summarize the company’s next decade in one phrase: "Smart Energy." Electricity is no longer just power; it is smart energy managed, predicted, and optimized across green power, grid power, energy storage, and biomass. Just like the wind turbines Justin saw on the Dutch highway years ago, their core vision remains unchanged: bringing good energy to Taiwan.

Source: https://www.wepeople.club/the-power-behind-ai/
Written by:  WE PEOPLE, July 2026 Issue (No. 202) / Carlos Yuan
Date: 2026.7.9