Hydropower Writing

Giving Industrial Waste a Second Life Through Everyday Design

This project transforms retired copper parts from Taiwan’s oldest Sun Moon Lake hydropower plant into writing tools. Using low-waste methods like casting and CNC, it preserves the material’s memory while enabling full reuse. By bridging sustainability and industrial heritage, it creates lasting objects with both emotional and practical value for daily life.

Hydropower at Sun Moon Lake

In 1919, Government-General of Taiwan founded the Taiwan Electric Power Co. Ltd. and implemented the Sun Moon Lake hydropower project, utilizing the water level difference to drive generators. In the 1950s, hydropower accounted for over half of Taiwan’s electricity generation, supporting industries, households, and cultural life. These power stations truly illuminated an era.

Today, Sun Moon Lake remains one of Taiwan’s most complex hydropower systems. It not only generates power using water level differences but also utilizes pumped storage between upper and lower reservoirs, making it Taiwan’s largest energy storage system.

Brass Sealing Strip

The brass sealing strip is a key component of the pumped storage station. Working with the turbine’s guide vane, it enables precise water flow adjustment and boosts pumping efficiency. This ensures responsive power scheduling and rapid generation startup to meet peak electricity demands.

Hydropower Ballpoint Pen

We re-cut, melt, and cast the brass sealing strips once used in the Sun Moon Lake pump storage power stations to create unique ballpoint pens. These writing tools retain traces of the original material while minimizing waste—preserving hydropower memory through everyday use.

Hydropower Pen Holder

The surface of each sealing strip bears water erosion marks from years of service—engraved traces of hydropower’s impact. These marks are preserved and transformed into pen holders, bringing historical texture into modern daily writing routines.