To mitigate climate change, the Hong Kong government in recent years has been promoting the development of renewable energy in Hong Kong and has taken the lead by earmarking USD2 billion to install renewable energy systems at suitable government premises. The government is actively developing larger-scale solar energy generation, such as the Solar Harvest system.
Solar Harvest has been well-received since its launch in March 2019. Fung Kai Innovative School (FKIS) in Sheung Shui is operating this solar energy generation system, as one of the participating schools in the first batch of the Solar Harvest programme.
The Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, visited Fung Kai Innovative School on 20 January 2020 to understand more about this system. He said that more than 210 applications have been received from eligible schools and welfare organisations in Hong Kong.
At present, three schools have completed installation of solar energy generation systems and started receiving Feed-in Tariff (FiT) payment, which was introduced in 2018 to encourage the community to develop distributed renewable energy systems.
It is estimated that the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) will install solar energy generation systems at about 50 schools and welfare organisation premises in this financial year. This batch of systems can generate about 400,000 kWh of electricity each year, which equates to the annual electricity consumption of about 120 households.
The EMSD also helps the participants to apply to join the FiT Scheme and the revenue can be used for repair and maintenance of the solar energy generation systems. All expenses in relation to the solar energy generation system installation and the application to join the FiT Scheme will be fully covered by Solar Harvest. — Construction+ Online
