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Climate change
OpinionLetters

LettersTurn Hong Kong’s unused land into solar farms to meet climate change goals

  • Readers discuss Hong Kong’s contribution to the climate change fight, China’s poverty reduction efforts, frugal lifestyles and digital versus printed media

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The Water Supplies Department has installed small floating solar farms at the Shek Pik and Plover Cove Reservoirs to collect data for similar large-scale projects in the future in Hong Kong. Photo: Martin Chan
Letters
On October 24, the National Development and Reform Commission published a guiding document detailing China’s road map to peak emissions and carbon neutrality. The document stated targets of carbon reduction for 2025, 2030 and 2060, which apply to the Greater Bay Area, including Hong Kong.
Two days later, it published an action plan towards reaching peak carbon emissions before 2030. For this to happen, China must reduce its carbon emission by more than 65 per cent compared with 2005 levels, and energy generation by non-fossil fuel sources should reach 25 per cent of all energy generated.

These are ambitious goals. Hong Kong, too, must play a part in meeting the targets.

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Hong Kong’s greenhouse gas emissions are predominantly generated from utility companies and vehicles. We are using some nuclear power, and our utility companies have been gradually switching from the use of coal to natural gas to reduce carbon dioxide generation. However, further reduction will not be achieved without the use of renewable energies such as solar or wind power.

Hong Kong has a large stockpile of unused land. This includes our closed landfills, which total 300 hectares and by my estimate have the potential to house 300 megawatts worth of solar panels, generating about 2,400 megawatt-hours of energy a day. It is unfortunate that this untapped resource is not zoned for energy generation or commercial use.

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Singapore unveils one of the world’s biggest floating solar panel farms

Singapore unveils one of the world’s biggest floating solar panel farms

Our reservoirs are another source of open space for solar farms. There are now some small solar projects at selected reservoirs, but none of significant scale.

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