Student at Hong Kong’s Renaissance College hooks up new HK$260,000 solar panels
- Student project to earn institution money via feed-in tariffs
A HK$260,000 investment might not sound like the typical budget for a Hong Kong secondary school project, but that’s exactly what 16-year-old Jane Chan managed to pull off.
Passionate about climate change, international affairs and environmental policy, the student set her mind to completing a mid-year personal project that was original, profitable and socially impactful.
Her idea was to install solar panels on the roof of her school, Renaissance College in Ma On Shan, to feed clean, renewable energy into the public grid – and get paid for it.
After 18 months, the system was finally hooked up last week.
The 32-panel system is by no means large. But it can still churn out about 30 to 40 kilowatt-hours on a cloudy day – enough to power 770 light bulbs for up to eight hours – and even more when the sun is out.
“I had two criteria for my project. First, it had to create real and tangible change. I didn’t want to just waste my time on something that wouldn’t benefit the community,” the Year 12 pupil, a member of the school’s sustainability club, said. “Second, to commit to a cause greater than one’s own individual wants and needs.”
