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Following is a question by the Hon Martin Lee Chu-ming and an oral reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, in the Legislative Council meeting today (June 30) :-
Question:
The International Conference for Renewable Energies was held in Bonn, Germany from June 1 to 4, 2004. The Conference mainly discussed the promotion of the development and use of renewable energies, with themes covering the formulation of policies, financing, human capacity building and research for renewable energies. Both the Central Government and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ("HKSAR Government") sent delegates to attend the Conference. At the Conference, the Chinese delegation said that the share of renewable energies in China's total installed energy capacity would reach 10 per cent by 2010. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the results the HKSAR Government has achieved by attending the Conference and the proposals it submitted;
(b) whether the HKSAR Government was involved in setting the above target in respect of renewable energies and what target Hong Kong has set in this respect; and
(c) as the Central Government is currently drafting the Renewable Energy Development and Utilisation Promotion Law of the People's Republic of China for the development of renewable energies, of the complementing policies or measures the HKSAR Government has?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) Developing renewable energy (RE) is a global trend, which we hail as important. The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government) has sent delegates to attend the International Conference on RE in Bonn primarily to gain a better understanding of the advancement in RE technologies and learn from the experience of other countries and regions.
(b) The Central Government has made a huge commitment and contribution to counteracting global climate changes. The HKSAR Government was not involved in setting the targets, and they are not applicable to Hong Kong because the constraints and considerations of developing RE in a densely populated city are quite different from those in a country. However, we attach great importance to developing RE in Hong Kong. Apart from considering the recommendations of the Study on the Potential Applications of RE in Hong Kong published last year, we have separately suggested that the Council for Sustainable Development invite the public to discuss the related matters when it engages the public on the formulation of a sustainable development strategy of Hong Kong.
We will also take the following proactive measures to investigate the feasibility of RE application:
* rendering support at the policy level --- we, together with the Economic Development and Labour Bureau (EDLB), will explore the role of RE in the future electricity market so as to give a clear signal to the market. We will create an environment conducive to the development of small-scale RE systems for private use. We will continue to urge the power companies to formulate and publish the safety specifications for power grid connection so that buildings installed with such RE systems can still receive electricity supply from the power companies.
* conducting technical feasibility studies --- we have undertaken a number of studies on RE application. The Study on the Potential Applications of RE in Hong Kong released last year evaluated the potential and limitations of various types of RE in Hong Kong. A trial was conducted at Wanchai Tower to evaluate the performance of three types of building-integrated photovoltaic panels under the weather conditions and urban profile of Hong Kong. In addition, we will commence a wind measurement programme to set up five wind monitoring stations to collect site-specific data. Three of the stations will be located at Miu Tsai Tun, Tung Lung Chau and Town Island to facilitate the collection of wind data in the area east of Clear Water Bay in Sai Kung, which should constitute the preparatory work for a wind farm site search. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) is planning for a preliminary study about the environmental impacts of land-based and offshore wind farms. We have scheduled to install a wind-power generator on top of the roof of the new EMSD Headquarters under construction to study the application of a small-scale wind-power system on buildings. We will share with the community the experience gained and the technical information and data collected to facilitate the installation of RE systems by interested parties.
* taking the lead in tapping RE in public works projects --- we have required all government projects to take advantage of RE as far as practicable. Examples are building-integrated photovoltaic panels installed at the Wanchai Tower, EMSD Headquarters, the fire station at Penny Bay on Lantau Island, Castle Peak Hospital Redevelopment Phase II, and Science Park; the solar panels installed at the Braemar Hill Fire Station for water heating; the automatic irrigation system powered by a photovoltaic system installed on hill slopes at Kau Shat Wan; and the wind energy and solar energy systems installed to support remote weather stations. The total power generation capacity of the above government RE projects amounts to 760 kW. Their annual power output of 1.3 GWh is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 300 households.
Notwithstanding our above efforts, given the natural constraints and geographical limitations of Hong Kong, solar energy and wind energy are the only types of RE that can be widely tapped locally. With the existing technological constraints, wind power generation needs relatively enormous space. Sites with good wind potentials, which may be suitable for building wind farms, are mostly located on hillsides or in country parks and offshore deep areas. As a metropolis with a population density of 6 500 persons per square kilometre, Hong Kong will most probably need to give up some green belts, or carry out large-scale marine works in order to develop wind power generation extensively. As it will inevitably give rise to a lot of issues such as planning interface problems, environmental implications, cost effectiveness, visual impacts, etc., a broad consensus must be formed by all sectors of the community. In this regard, we have successfully persuaded each of the two power companies to study and then set up a production-scale wind turbine so that the public can gain a first-hand understanding of the benefits and limitations of wind power generation and judge the practicality and scope of developing wind farms in Hong Kong.
When defining clear and attainable targets for RE development and working out the related implementation schedule, we must ensure that the reliability and stability of electricity supply are not compromised and give due consideration to the affordability of consumers. The development of RE must also tie in with the development of the electricity market. As the existing Scheme of Control Agreements between the Government and the two power companies will expire in 2008, the EDLB is conducting an electricity market review for 2008 and beyond. We will take this opportunity to work with the EDLB to study the role of RE in the future electricity market.
(c) The Mainland's Renewable Energy Development and Utilisation Promotion Law, which is now under drafting, will not be applicable to HKSAR. However, the concepts behind it are worth our consideration, especially the provisions and corresponding policies concerning RE quotas, interconnection of power supply, and tariff setting and apportionment. We will make reference to the Law when EDLB and we consider the role of RE in the future electricity market.
Ends/Wednesday, June 30, 2004
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