Panel's View Of Solar Power Is Foggy: Green Group

A government-commissioned study has found rooftop solar panels could provide – at most – just 2 percent of the city's electricity needs and say one third of the roofs are not suitable for this. But WWF-Hong Kong says this report is flawed and wants a new team to look at it again.

The consultant, commissioned by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, said many rooftops can't be used for reasons like they don't get enough sun or are already taken up by things like air-conditioning units.

But WWF-Hong Kong said it’s not convinced by these findings and said it believes rooftop solar panels can supply around 10 percent of the city’s power.

The conservation group's Karen Ho told RTHK's Richard Pyne that the consultant has made some uncommon assumptions when doing the study like the angle and direction of the panels.

Ho said the problem with the study is that it treats regulatory and design restrictions as something “unsolvable”, adding the government should consider doing another study with a different set of presumptions.

“When we talk about policies, it really means that the government should impose something to enable the solar panels to be able to be installed on whether it’s the rooftop or whether it’s open space,” she said.