With the aid of the Jockey Club, installation costs will be fully covered by the “Jockey Club SolarCare Programme”. The rebate gained by CCIL will be used for repairing and maintenance in the next 5 years

Before considering the installation of solar PV systems, please browse the following websites to screen contractors:
 i. Whether the company has been registered in Hong Kong and the year of establishment.（Here）
 ii. Whether the company has registered as an Renewable Energy Installation Contractor.（Here）
 iii. Whether the company is a Registered Electrical Contractor. （Here）
 iv. Whether the company is a Registered Professional or Contractor.（Here）

To better understand the background of the contractor, you may request the company to:
 i. Provide the company’s qualifications
 ii. List the technical regulations, for example, the electricity generation capacity of the PV system, anti-leakage construction, etc.
 iii. Provide previous case studies
 iv. Provide designs of the PV modules and circuits
 v. Provide certificates of safety compliance and ensure that the PV system meets international standards (For example,the standards of International Electrotechnical Commission)
 vi. Provide a project schedule, and guarantee of commitment to the schedule.
 vii. Guarantee the warranty period and the maximum charges

The solar PV systems in the New Territories Exempted Houses (NTEH) (commonly known as village houses) must be installed properly and must not adversely affect the structural safety of the buildings. Subject to fulfilment of specified conditions, the height of the system can reach a maximum of 2.5m. Such systems should be certified by an Authorised Person registered under the Buildings Ordinance for submission of a safety certificate to Lands Department for record.

For other private buildings, if such installation is minor works, the building owner or tenant concerned should appoint Prescribed Building Professionals (PBP)/ Prescribed Registered Contractors(PRC) to carry out the erection of the supporting structures. If the building works involved are not exempted works or minor works items, the relevant owner or tenant should appoint an authorized person to submit the building plans to The Buildings Department in accordance with the Buildings Ordinance. Since the solar PV systems include electric devices, you need to hire Registered Electrical Contractors/Registered Electrical Workers to carry out related electrical works.

The meter installed in the household is different from the FiT meter. The former is the standard meter of the power companies; the latter is a revenue meter. The revenue meter is usually connected to the switch box in village houses or the meter room in industrial buildings for calculating the electricity usage. It is not a standard meter.

In general, the building structure and fire protection system should be considered before installing solar energy generation systems. Instead of layering at a single corner, the concrete blocks of the system would spread over the whole roof which causes limited pressure on the building structure. In addition, since all the private, industrial, commercial, and residential buildings are designed, built, and reconstructed according to the Buildings Ordinance (BO), certain space is reserved for fire protection purposes (The passage shall not be less than 1050mm in width). Hence, the concern of fire protection can be eased. Yet, it is suggested that the building owner should communicate with contractors, or appoint authorized persons to conduct building evaluation before installation.

Yes, the requirement is the same. You have to be a registered customers of either electric company, have applied for occupation of the relevant property, with less than 1MW total generation capacity after the system is installed, and if the system can be connected to the grid of either electric company. After the above requirements are fulfilled, you could apply for the installation of solar energy generation systems.

Two aspects need to be considered in this case. Firstly, it should be ensured that the structure on the roof is not an unauthorized building work. Secondly, village houses and detached houses are regulated by different Buildings Ordinance. According to the Buildings Ordinance (Application to the New Territories) Ordinance, structure built on the rooftop of village houses should not be higher than 2.5m. While the detached house does not fall into the category of a village house, hence it is not exempted from Buildings Ordinance. Therefore, the structure on the roof of a detached house, should be less than 1.5m high and prior approval from the Buildings Department should be obtained.

Yes. The two electric companies do not stipulate explicitly that the building owner or organisation has to complete all application procedures once. However, you should be reminded that the two electric companies can adjust power tariff every year (by every 1kWh), either increase or decrease, therefore you have to be aware of the periodic risk and return ratio.

Qualified switch box and most solar energy generation device have IP65 or IP66 International Protection Marking (protection from water and dust). However, they are better installed indoors, which could prevent deterioration due to rain and wind.

It is mainly caused by the overuse of the converter or depletion of electric wires. Depletion of the solar panels is only the secondary cause.

It may cause insulation problems. In fact, solar panels do not only absorb solar energy but also perform the functions of insulation and cooling. Hence, putting the insulation board under the system is unnecessary.

Restricted by the Town Planning Ordinance, farmland can only be used for agricultural purposes. Installation of PV systems may involve a change of land use, therefore, the two electric companies may reject the application due to vagueness of the law. In addition, none of the government departments is responsible for these types of issues. The possibility of installing a PV system on farmlands is hard to tell.

Yes, it is possible. If it is an open space parking lot, before constructing the superstructure of a building, obtaining consent from the Lands Department and approval from the Buildings Department are needed. Additionally, the expenses and time cost are higher than building it in a covered parking lot, and the procedures are more complicated. You may request details from relevant contractors.

Yes. In fact, solar panels absorb light but not heat. In terms of physics and electrical science, the higher the temperature, the higher the resistance. Therefore, rooftops built with rubbles are not ideal for boosting power generation efficiency. It is better to install the system in a more ventilated area.

Taking the height restriction of 2.5M of on the rooftop of village house as an example, it is suggested that plants could be planted under the solar panels. This is beneficial to plants that cannot be directly exposed to sunlight. On the other hand, a separated area may be needed for building a greenhouse.

Take the village house as an example, if there is already UBW on the roof, the handling would be more complicated. The owner needs to submit the building plan including recent photos to the Lands Department before the installation to prove the absence of unauthorized buildings on the rooftop currently. There has been cases in which the Buildings Department has ordered the complete removal of UBWs and solar panels on the structure before the installation could be proceeded.

Currently, the documents required for the installation of the system are mainly divided into village houses and private buildings. According to the Buildings Ordinance (Application to the New Territories) Ordinance, as long as the entire solar system occupies no more than half of the floor area of the village house (approximately 350 ft), the system can be built up to 2.5m height. For constructions in private buildings, which would be regarded as minor works, the height restriction of the system is 1.5M. If the relevant structure exceeds 1.5M, the construction would no longer be considered as minor works. Thus building plans should be submitted to the Lands Department to obtain approval. The construction cost would increase because of the lengthy approval process (approximately half to 1 year). Since schools are regarded as private buildings, the Buildings Ordinance (Application to the New Territories) Ordinance may not apply to old chool campus. It is suggested to find out if your land lease could be exempt, otherwise, obtaining approval for minor works would be more suitable.

It is true that the solar panel manufacturing technology is advancing. The conversion efficacy is also improving, and the latest conversion rate has reached 21%. Owners of the PV system could consider changing the panels every 3 to 5 years, yet individual’s capability of risk-bearing should be taken into account. Since the new panel systems may not fit into the equipment of the original system, the original system may need to be demolished and replaced in order to ensure proper operation. Also, you may need to sign a new contract. You are suggested to consider the potential cost in advance.

Generally speaking, as solar panels rely on absorbing light to generate power, its surface materials mainly absorb sunlight, there is no reflection problems. Given that most solar PV systems are installed on the rooftop, influences to the neighborhood would largely be reduced. In fact, since the climate change issues are gaining ground in society, we believe that the public's attitude towards solar panels is becoming more positive.

We use the Performance Ratio (RP) as the core index for determining the difference between the expected and actual performances of the solar PV system. Since PR is a cumulative performance index, it is only applicable to systems that have been in operation for at least a year, and the inspection would be done at the end of each year. While OEE is applicable to the estimation of performance and depreciation of the solar panels produced by individual brands; as a basis for future inspections, applicants are recommended to refer to the Performance Warranty provided by different manufacturers in advance, in order to make annual follow-ups with the contractors.

3 grades of FiT rates are determined by the 2 electric companies according to the generation capacity of the PV system. As of 2021, for systems with capacity below 10kW, the two electric companies would buy back the electricity at HKD5/kWh; for systems with capacity from 10kW to 200kW, the FiT rate is HKD4/kWh; for systems with capacity higher than 200kW, the FiT rate is HKD3/kWh. Applicants can request an energy generation evaluation report from the contractors. By multiplying the electricity generated every year with the system’s FiT rate, owners could estimate the annual return.

While the actual payback period is dependent on the construction cost of the system, the FiT rates promised by the 3 electric companies at the completion of the system, and the actual annual energy generation rate.

The general return of the solar PV system installed in Hong Kong are 3 to 6 years.

There are many simulation programmes in the market. These programmes mainly based on the weather data of Hong Kong in the past 20 to 25 years as the parameter setting for the upcoming year. These parameters would be used by contractors to design a tailor-made database for predicting the monthly power generation capacity of the PV system in a specific location. Data of the nearby environment is also considered. This estimation is comparatively accurate. Applicants can also request a simulation report when quoting from the contractor.

Since the two electric companies review the FiT rate annually, the change in the FiT rate is a relatively large variations that affect future constructions. However, the solar systems or constructions with their contract signed are not affected by this variation.

The FiT rate uses a fixed interest rate to calculate the price of the electricity. In other words, regardless of the power generation of the systems, the FiT would increase at the same rate. Solar PV system of different scales have different pricing. The current FiT rate in Hong Kong is usually HKD4/kWh (for systems with power generation capacity ranging from 10kW to 200kW). Most of them are industrial building and school projects.

The most significant advantage of the Solar PV System is the benefit gained from the FiT programme. Yet, in terms of technology, as the operating principles of the two systems are different, their efficiency are different. The operation of the Solar PV System relies on solar panels and alternating current (AC) conversion. There would be deterioration during the process, and the conversion efficiency is only about 20%, but it is already quite a good performance for solar panels.

The efficiency of most Solar Water Heating Systems can reach 90% or above because it generates heat from direct sunlight with the use of vacuum tubes. Therefore, if you don’t take joining the FiT scheme into consideration, the Solar PV System is not as cost-effective as the Solar Water Heating System. However, it is worth mentioning that the rate of return of the latter is not high, since it can only be used for heating water for showering in daily life or for replacing the LPG water heater. Building owners may consider and balance their needs. In terms of environmental perspective, both of them use renewable energy for heating or generate electricity, their performances are similar.

Hong Kong has publicly promised to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. CCIL believes that the cost of terminating the plan in 2033 will be extremely high and the motivation effect would be lost. However, we should not watch the situation with folded arms when combating climate change. The concerted efforts contributed by us would determine the opportunity of extending the plan. Citizens could express their demands and exert pressure on the government through District Councils, urging the government to announce the plan of extending the policy earlier, so that the community will be more confident in investing in renewable energy in the next few years.

Then, the energy generated will be first used by the building compounds of the system, which implies that the usage of electricity generated by the two electric companies would be reduced.

Currently, a fixed amount is used to calculate the maintenance fee. The amount is based on the frequency of regular inspections and the details are listed on the contract. Hence, it is difficult for applicants to only consider the maintenance margin when making investing decisions. However, applicants might refer to the example of village houses, in which 5% of the overall investment would be sufficient for comprehensive maintenance.

Solar leasing refers to the PV systems rented to the contractor by property user under the request of the contractor, and the contractor will share the FiT rebate with the owner or tenant. It is usually because these properties have geographical advantages, with abundant sunshine and high energy generating potential. Self-owned, as the name implies, means that the PV systems are completely owned by the property owner, which are mostly invested in a lump sum. The FiT rebate is received by the property owner. The former method can save heavy investment and construction costs, while the latter has the advantages of return on investment and risk exposure. Both investments have pros and cons. Due to the complicated legal provisions and numerous varying factors, if both parties intend to grant the revenue meter to the contractor, it is better to know more about the background, size, qualifications, reputation and project planning of the contractor, and to communicate before making a decision.

The surface of solar panels should be kept clean. The photovoltaic modules should be wiped with dry or damp, soft and clean cloth. Do not use chemicals or hard materials to scrub the surface. To ensure the proper operation of the system, inspections of the parameters and the output power of solar panels should be carried out regularly (such as every 6 months). If you find out any abnormality of the system or you need to adjust or exchange PV modules, you are recommended to hire contractors to perform regular inspections.

In general, the ideal warranty period should be 5 years.

If the damage is not caused by human factors, you can contact the contractor or the Hong Kong agent to arrange disassembly and return the panels to the relevant factory for free repair or one-for-one replacement (delivery fee not included). Otherwise, you need to pay for the replacement.

The warranty period for solar panels is generally over 10 years. In addition, the warranty coverage for damage and repair caused by non-human factors, including disassembly, transportation and reinstallation etc., would be generally specified in the warranty terms and conditions.

Take a village house as an example. If the installation of the system is classified as the third category of minor works, no mandatory wind protection construction work is required. Yet, the applicants can request the contractor to conduct a wind power test beforehand. If the system passes the test, it means that it can withstand under a certain wind speed. In addition, since the frames of solar panels are made of metal, the contractor should have included a lightning protection device when designing the solar PV system. You could rest assured of this.

Based on the wind-proof design of solar panels, damages caused by typhoons is not common. However, depending on the wind direction, the stability might be weakened by some of the strong typhoons . In severe cases, the construction may become loose and fall down. If you find it necessary, a wind test can be carried out beforehand.

Although the operation of solar panels tends not to be affected by the cracks, the cracking problem might become more severe due to strong wind and rain. It is suggested to replace them as soon as possible.

It mainly depends on the service arrangements of the contractors, the frequency of cleaning solar panels, and the scale and background of the contractors. The charging calculations could be very different. For example, the annual maintenance fee of a village house could be around HKD2000 to HKD3000. Maintenance fee may also be charged based on the generation capacity. For example, the annual maintenance fee of a PV system with 100kW generation capacity is about HKD20,000 to HKD30,000 per year.

Depends on the quotations, the cost of maintenance grow every year. The longer the warranty period, the higher the charge. Applicants should be aware of the charging method specified in the contract. You could be charged one time or annually. No matter which charging model is adopted , it should be calculated by a fixed amount. If the maintenance quotation is less than 5 years, an additional maintenance fee is needed to extend the warranty period. It should be listed on the contract.

Larger manufacturers usually subdivide the maintenance work into workmanship and performance. The former focuses on the physical issues of the solar panels, such as the smoothness and operation quality of circuits, and its guaranteed lifespan is usually 10 years. And the lifespan and performance of electricity generation of the latter are estimated base on the panels’ annual depreciation. It is usually guaranteed that the system will continue to maintain no less than 80% of its original performance in the upcoming 25 years. The above-mentioned approaches are made base on the 20% energy conversion efficiency of solar panels used nowadays. We believe that with the advancement in technology and increase in the resources put in R&D, the energy conversion efficiency will be increased, prolonging the lifespan of the panels. Let’s look forward to it!

Most contractors have individual warranty plan for each applicant, providing the applicants with annual monitoring service for their systems. It is suggested that both parties negotiate the details when they discuss the details of the contract.

It depends on the individual contractors. The area of coverage , fees and the charging method are usually clearly stated in the contract. Most of the fees will be calculated based on the power generation capacity, then use a fixed amount to calculate. It is not common to update the warranty coverage in the contract each year. Applicants should note that the maintenance and repair service of the solar panels are provided by the manufacturer. The contractor’s role is to provide safety inspections and cleaning services specified in the contract. Returning the panels to the factory for repair service might create additional transportation cost. You are suggested to understand the terms and conditions before signing the contract.

After the warranty period, owners of the solar systems can either contact the contractor to consult additional repair services arrangements or contact the manufacturer to understand its maintenance plans. However, the latter requires the owners to prove that the panels are completely malfunctioned in ordering to get the replacement. You are recommended to consider the cost-effectiveness when making the decision.

Yes. Since there are no stairs to reach the roof, additional protection measures are needed for workers to carry out the repair work. Additional protection measures depend on the height of the building. To ensure safety, temporary aluminium scaffoldings, boom lifts, or ladders with fall prevention systems are needed.

The construction period can generally be insured by engineering insurance. The PV system will be covered by the contract warranty period after the installation.

Yes. Solar power generation systems are considered as the properties of the users or owners. If a third party gets injured due to improper installation, the relevant people will be legally liable. However, if the system has passed the wind test or engineering test in advance to prove that the installation is safe, while the building plan has been submitted to The Lands Department, the owner might not need to bear heavy legal liabilities. We have not heard of similar accidents, but to reduce potential risks, owners can purchase third-party insurance in advance, or acquire more details from the contractor before contract signing.

Responsible contractors should enquire about the conditions of roof leakage and potential waterproofing works before building the system, so as to make corresponding arrangements and adjustment of the design if necessary. It is difficult to carry out waterproofing works after installation. Depending on the scope of the work, additional costs and work of disassembling and reassembling the system may be needed. There is also a potential loss of FiT rebate during the construction period.

Responsible contractors would not adopt designs that would affect the structure of the roof. Also, they would avoid cast in to prevent damage to the waterproof layer beneath the roof. For most designs, the system would be stabilized with concrete bricks. Thus, it is less likely to cause roof leakage.

The waterproof layer of the building which is generally beneath the roof structure would not have direct contact with the PV system. We have not heard of roof leakage due to installation. Nonetheless, in order to reduce potential risks, those who are interested in applying for the installation of solar power generation systems could inquire the relevant owner corporation of the building about the scope of waterproof maintenance beforehand.

It depends on whether the responsible contractor is willing to guarantee the generation capacity. We have not heard of services other than the ‘stimulated index report’ in Hong Kong.

Solar panels would somehow attract birds to excrete. Therefore, contractors usually include panel cleaning service in the scope of warranty and provide regular cleaning services once or twice a year. If necessary, owners can also clean the panels by themselves, simply using clean water and a cloth to wipe off the dust and dirt.

In general, manufacturers will disassemble used solar panels for recycling instead of discarding the panels directly to landfills. When choosing a contractor, applicants should request the relevant parties to provide product specifications to ensure that the panels meet the requirements of IEC. They should also inquire about the disposal approach adopted by the manufacturers. System owners have the right to request the manufacturers to provide relevant proof and information.

The solar panel recycling industry is currently absent in Hong Kong. Hence, the panels need to be cleaned up through contractors and returned to the manufacturers for recycling. We are hoping that there will be a third-party investment to develop the relevant industry.

The major source of carbon emission is from burning fossil fuels. For example, electricity generated in Hong Kong accounts for 60% of carbon emissions. If fossil fuels can be replaced by renewable energy, it will undeniably reduce impacts on the environment. Although renewable energy cannot achieve zero-emission, in which the pollution caused by solar panel production still exists, carbon emission would be greatly reduced compared to the burning of fossil fuels. Past studies have figured out that the conversion of 1% of total solar radiation absorbed in one week can produce sufficient electricity for all humans. Hence, more and more solar power plants will be built in deserts. The remaining challenges depend on us to introduce this power generation mode into cities through cables and wires.

The largest challenge of renewable energy is the stability of the battery. Only proper energy storage and application can stabilize the electricity supply. Moreover, the energy industry has been keen to develop hydrogen energy by decomposing hydrogen in recent years. However, we have not heard of commercial applications of hydrogen energy in Hong Kong yet. Considering the current situation, renewable energy is believed to be the best way in mitigating the climate crisis. Among all renewable energy, nuclear energy has sparked the most debates on its safety.