University to launch Hong Kong’s largest solar energy project, generating income of up to HK$160 million by 2033
- University to install 8,000 solar panels, generating electricity equal to consumption of hundreds of households
- Hong Kong University of Science and Technology project will cost up to HK$60 million and starts in September
A Hong Kong university will launch the city’s largest solar energy project: installing up to 8,000 solar panels on campus to generate not only electricity equivalent to the annual consumption of hundreds of households, but also an income of up to HK$160 million (US$20.6 million) in the years to come.
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) project, which will cost up to HK$60 million in total, is expected to start on September 1 and be completed in about nine months, with solar panels to be installed at more than 50 locations on the Clear Water Bay campus.
According to HKUST, which consumed 86 million kWh of electricity between July last year and June this year, the system is the city’s largest and could generate 3 million kWh of electricity a year – equivalent to the annual consumption of more than 900 three-person households in Hong Kong.
Davis Bookhart, HKUST’s head of sustainability, said the project aimed to transform the campus into a smart and sustainable living lab, so as to enhance the environmental awareness of staff and students.
Marie Leung Chan Siu-chi, chief executive projects director of Widex Technology Development, the system’s main contractor, said the amount of solar power to be generated could reduce carbon emissions by 1.5 million kilograms per annum over a 25-year period.
Bookhart said: “This project is an aggressive one as our team and Widex worked well together to find areas of opportunity we never thought possible. The more progress we make, the more opportunities we will have.”
