The training centre of the Taiwan International Windpower Training Cooperation Ltd. (TIWTC) 臺灣風能訓練股份有限公司, which trains specialized personnel conducts mainly occupational safety seminars and training courses as well as routine exercises.

On 3 January 2024, Dr Perkuhn visited the demonstration area for a low-emission lifestyle in Shalun, Tainan. At the Shalun Green Energy Technology Demonstration Site 沙崙綠能科技師範場域, visitors can learn about a nearly C02-neutral living model using green energy by means of innovative technologies. During her visit, she met Dr Wenyang Hsu, who has been researching with his team renewable electricity generation regarding solar, wind and ocean. She could also have a short chat with the the Antony Li, who is the program director of ITRI and who provided her with information on visitor quotas, public awareness and a general outlook of green energy transition.

At the site, there is a laboratory building designed for research, which can be rotated depending on the angle of the sun to allow different measurements regardless the time or direction. At the core of the site, is a constructed house to showcase advantages of green energy living with energy-efficient, smart technologies: water is heated by solar power on the roof, electricity is generated using solar panels, and an electric scooter is parked outside the door for mobility to name some of the features. Visitors can inform themselves about each feature accessible outside and inside. The building is equipped with a high-performance energy-efficient furnishing without lacking comfort or coziness. Presented this way, the model house appears attractive for living without sacrificing quality of life.

After visiting the Shalun demonstration site, Dr. Perkuhn met her former TAP colleague and current assistant professor Dr. Hung-yi Chien at Cheng Kung University in Tainan. They exchanged views on the project's progress and new research interests.

Before she returned to Taipei, she visited the Tainan memorial for “comfort women”, which is a derogatory term for women who were forced into sexual slavery during the World War II under the Japanese Armed Forces. She visited the the memorial in preparation for the upcoming session with Dr Astrid Lipinsky on 6 May 2024, which is a part of the lecture series on in cooperation with the TAP-initiated Taiwan-AG of the DVCS.

The route back north on 7 January took them via Changhua, a city associated with the first coastal wind turbines. The coastline is far away from the city centre and even further away from the high-speed road, but it is worth a trip with an educational and adventure trail along the coastline. Tourist groups can also be taken to the coastline in motorised trolleys, similar to a visit to the Wadden Sea.

Once again, she met with the supporting director of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSAH), Dr Tzou 鄒子廉, and the colleague responsible for occupational safety, Chen Jhih-Ci 陳志祺, on 9 January 2024. An exchange with representatives of the energy generation company Taipower then took place in the offices. This background discussion focused on innovative development opportunities and the challenges arising from the market economy and the transformation to decentralised energy centres as well as the democratisation of energy generation.

One focus of her research is dealing with rampant misinformation. On 11 January 2024, she met the founder of AI.Labs.tw, Ethan Tu, and his colleague Gracie Liao. In addition to election-related analyses, AI.Labs also works closely with healthcare providers to enable a federated learning system for data exchange in the healthcare sector.

On 17.01.2024, Dr Perkuhn visited the NAMR National Academy of Marine Research in Kaohsiung and met the President of the research facility, Dr Jiahn-Horng Chen. Here she learnt about innovation in the field of marine energy generation and the ambitious plans to supply entire islands with self-sufficient electricity from the sea in the future. One contribution to the green energy transition is the expansion of decentralised energy generation and supply structures. In the evening, she also visited the research vessel ‘New Ocean Researcher 1’ anchored in Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung is considered a stronghold of the green energy revolution and a pioneer in the expansion of solar panels.
Another component of the research activities included conducting an online survey via a third-party provider for the research trip at the turn of the year 2023 to 2024. A survey was conducted in Mandarin on three topics before the election from 3 to 11 January, which was distributed to 584 and answered by 346. The three topics included general information about the respondents, digitalisation and public participation as well as energy transformation with aspects of security policy.

During her research trip in January 2024, Dr Perkuhn experienced the mood and preparations for the national election on 13 January 2024. Election posters were omnipresent. What was astonishing was the choice of colours, which, contrary to intuitive assumptions, were not based on the party colours, as the example of the pink DPP election advertisement in Taichung Harbour shows (pictured below). The Democratic Progressive Party is associated with the colour green, as opposed to the ‘blue KMT’.  However, the previously vociferous election campaign with protests and vote-boosting campaign mobiles appeared to be minimal: The trend towards digital also made an appearance here. The election campaign raged on social media. Through her research network and WS Academic Peace participant Maggie Lewis, Dr Perkuhn gained access to the away correspondents' meeting on the evening of 11 January. A meeting with impressions of the election and the significance of the election results was presented to the network partner at the Ruhr University Bochum under the title Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Taiwan 2024 on 01 February 2024.

During the research trip, she was able to gather many impressions and meet a number of other supportive contacts across the island through her established networks.