Overview

Promoting the Use of Renewable Energy (RE) in Hong Kong

The Government as well as some other non-government organizations have been promoting the use of RE in Hong Kong through conducting studies and publicizing results of the studies, public education, demonstration projects, etc. Among these, this website is one of the promotional initiatives of the Government.

The This link will open in a new windowThis web page has hyperlinks which may transfer you to third-party website.Energy Efficiency Office under the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) is responsible for implementing the energy efficiency initiatives and RE initiatives of the government.

In year 2000, the Energy Efficiency Office commissioned a two-stage consultancy study to investigate the viability of using RE resources such as solar energy, wind energy, wave energy, landfill gas, etc. in Hong Kong. Stage 1 of the study, completed in December 2002, evaluated the potentials of various forms of RE for wide-scale local use, and their related legal, institutional and promotional issues. It also made recommendations for formulating an implementation strategy. Stage 2 of the study involved the installation of different types of solar panels in Wanchai Tower so as to collect technical data to assess their performance under local weather and environmental conditions. The twelve-month performance monitoring work was completed in March 2004.

The reports of the whole study can be downloaded here:

• This link will open in a new windowFinal Stage 1 Report [PDF format (5.8MB)]
• This link will open in a new windowExecutive Summary of Stage 1 Study [PDF format (1.8MB)]
• This link will open in a new windowExecutive Summary of Stage 2 Study [PDF format (527KB)]

In 2005, the EMSD put into service a 350kW solar energy generation system on the roof of the EMSD Headquarters building. The installation becomes part of the EMSD Education Path at the EMSD Headquarters, which is open for visit by interested organizations.

The first commercial-scale wind turbine in Hong Kong was built by the Hongkong Electric Company limited as a demonstration project on Lamma Island. The wind power station, which consists of a single wind turbine and a cluster of exhibition panels, was inaugurated in February 2006. The wind turbine is an 800 kW a three-blade machine with a rotor diameter of 50 meters. The hub height of the wind turbine is 46 metres. The wind turbine generates electricity when the wind speed falls in the range of 3 m/s to 25 m/s.

Besides, both power companies are also exploring the feasibility of constructing off-shore windfarms in Hong Kong waters (see Offshore Wind Farm - Technology Outline section).