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How Hong Kong can gain from better clean energy goals: save money, save public health, save the world
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Why you can trust SCMP
In Hong Kong, renewable energy sources play a negligible role in power generation and account for less than 1 per cent of total energy consumption, despite the suitability of our island location and subtropical climate to wind and solar power.
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Coal, nuclear and natural gas dominate electricity generation due to the scheme of control agreements with the city’s two power providers. Japan has set a 22-24 per cent renewable energy target, and the European Union 27 per cent, for 2030.
But our lack of clear targets has resulted in a policy gap where there is no support for renewable energy.
Using renewable energy brings public health and environmental benefits, such as reduced air pollution, reduced water use (coal plants need water for cooling), lower health care costs from air pollution-related illnesses, as well as mitigation of climate change by reducing greenhouse gases.
Hong Kong villagers using solar energy to help power their homes
The introduction of feed-in tariffs in Hong Kong means that new second-generation solar technology, such as transparent “solar glass” – highly transparent solar cells – and thin-film solar cells, which rival the performance of traditional polysilicon cells, could be used on the windows and glass facades of our skyscrapers, allowing third parties to contribute to the grid through renewables.
‘More than half’ of Hongkongers can accept 5 per cent rise in power bills to support renewable energy
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