Campus Digest

Asian Energy Studies Centre holds workshop on renewable energy feed-in tariff in Hong Kong

20 Nov 2017

HKBU’s  Asian Energy Studies Centre (AESC) and the Department of Geography together with Greenpeace and 350HK organised the Renewable Dialogue Workshop for Hong Kong on 4 November.

Potential solar photovoltaic (PV) adopters, representatives from academia, education institutions, non-profit organisations, electricity companies and private companies participated in the workshop to discuss the renewable energy feed-in tariff (REFIT) policy which will soon be implemented in Hong Kong. The workshop created a platform for different stakeholders to discuss the role that REFIT can play in Hong Kong’s energy future and its potential impact on society.

REFIT is a subsidising policy designed to scale up investment in renewable energy technologies. It generally offers long-term contracts to renewable energy producers with a fixed and favourable subsidy. The Hong Kong Government will introduce REFIT under the new Scheme of Control Agreements (SCAs) in October 2018, with the two electricity companies first. The design and mechanism, subsidy matters and installation barriers of REFIT in Hong Kong were the three major issues discussed.

During the event, student ambassadors introduced the Hong Kong Solar Map to participants. With this map, participants learned about the estimated potential of generating solar energy from their rooftops and the impact of REFIT to the payback period.

The discussions at the workshop and the findings of the questionnaire will be presented to electricity companies and the HKSAR Government’s Energy Advisory Committee to assist in the implementation of the REFIT policy and development of renewable energy in Hong Kong.