Developing and using renewable energy is the trend of the world. Especially wind energy is a clean energy without environmental and external costs; it is the most widely used and mature type of renewable energy, under rapid development and its competitiveness with conventional fossil fuels is increasing.
Currently, fossil fuels including coal and natural gas are the major fuels for electricity generation in Hong Kong, and this has produced different environmental problems. As an effort to combat global warming and mitigate air pollutions, Hong Kong should increase its application of wind energy.
At present, there are small amounts of wind turbines operating in different areas of Hong Kong, and Lamma Winds is the first and only commercial-scale wind turbines in commission. Two proposed offshore wind farms constructed by the two local power companies respectively are under development and forecasted to contribute to the electricity network in the future. Wind energy development is immature in Hong Kong and promotion should be done in different aspects.
Even though wind energy is now more expensive, it has many advantages making it competitive against conventional fossil fuels. With research and development (R&D) and proper promotions of the government, wind power’s economic comparative advantages can become more outstanding and the costs is forecasted to drop in the future, making it more feasible for development.
Political support is always crucial for wind energy development in any places, but this support seems insufficient in Hong Kong. In the future, Hong Kong can seek the possibility to modify local energy market structure, and cooperate with China
such as integrating wind power from Guangdong into Hong Kong’s electricity network. In addition, different political instruments such as Carbon Tax, Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariffs (REFITS) can be implemented to assist wind energy in gaining a standing position in the market. Setting up a specific taskforce dedicated to renewable energy is also important for better resources allocation and effective development progress.
In terms of meteorology, Hong Kong possesses wind resources sufficient for wind energy application, especially in offshore area. But due to geographical constraints, offshore wind farms are predicted to have comparatively larger potential for development. The two proposed offshore wind farms are encouraging starting points, additional efforts should be spent to explore more places feasible for offshore wind development, such as in western Hong Kong waters.
Another wind power application feasible in Hong Kong is installing wind turbines in the built environment, in the form of Building Augmented Wind Turbines (BAWT). There are different successful overseas cases worthwhile for learning, and different studies have suggested its feasibility in Hong Kong. Since Hong Kong has such a high concentration of buildings, we should seize the opportunity to fully utilize this wind resource. The government should put more efforts in promoting and assisting application of this technology in terms of technical and financial supports. Choosing appropriate buildings for applications, integration of the technology in future city planning are also crucial.
To conclude, although wind power is limited in Hong Kong at this moment, it is the most feasible kind of renewable energy in long term and can have more development in the future. But the development will be impossible without
government’s supports and actions, especially in economical and political aspects. Hong Kong should learn from overseas and act now to build a greener future.
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