Priority Themes
Innovative technologies play a critical role in our quest for carbon neutrality before 2050. In 2022, electricity generation was Hong Kong's largest source of carbon emissions (63%), followed by transport (19%) and waste (8%). Therefore, our decarbonisation efforts would focus on these three key areas. We welcome and encourage R&D institutes and local companies to apply for the GTF to develop low-carbon technologies with high application and commercialisation potential that cater for the specific needs of Hong Kong's environment and market, the technologies to be developed should be specific to Hong Kong's circumstances and challenges and can demonstrate clear prospect for commercialisation/ application in local context. Projects that can support Government’s policy objectives in the areas of Net-zero Electricity Generation, Energy Saving and Green Buildings, Green Transport and Waste Reduction will be given priority.
Targets in Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050
Phasing out coal for electricity generation
- Cease using coal for daily electricity generation, to be replaced by low to zero-carbon energy by 2035.
Renewable Energy
- Increase the share of renewable energy (RE) in the fuel mix for electricity generation.
Zero-carbon Energy
- Raise the share of zero-carbon energy in the fuel mix for electricity generation to 60% to 70% by 2035.
Description of Projects
- Technology that can enhance potential application of renewable energy (RE) and new zero-carbon energy for electricity generation in Hong Kong.
- Development of Power-to-X technology to store or convert surplus electric power to fuels (e.g. converting surplus electricity to hydrogen, methane and ammonia, etc.).
Targets in Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050
Electricity Saving in Buildings
- Reduce the electricity consumption of commercial buildings by 15% to 20% and that of the residential buildings by 10% to 15% from the 2015 level by 2035.
- Reduce the electricity consumption of commercial buildings by 30% to 40% and that of the residential buildings by 20% to 30% from the 2015 level by 2050.
Description of Projects
- Projects that can improve energy efficiency in buildings in Hong Kong, such as development of innovative energy-saving technologies to further improve the energy performance of buildings and district cooling system, use of big data and artificial intelligence to optimise and improve the energy performance of buildings, etc.
Targets in Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050
Electric Private Cars
- Cease the new registration of fuel-propelled and hybrid private cars by 2035 or earlier.
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles
- Test out the hydrogen fuel cell electric buses and heavy vehicle.
New Energy Transport
- Promote adoption and trial of new energy transport.
Description of Projects
- Projects that can facilitate wide adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and other electric and new energy transports including public transport and commercial vehicles in Hong Kong, thereby support the popularisation of green transport.
- Development of smart solutions to EV charging infrastructure including peak load demand management and innovative charging provisions, etc.
- Projects on new energy Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM).
Targets in Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050
Enhance Waste Reduction and Recycling
- Reduce the per capita disposal rate of municipal solid waste (MSW) by 40 – 45% and increase the recovery rate to about 55%. Major waste types include food waste, waste plastics, waste paper, glass waste, waste electrical and electronic equipment and yard waste.
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Charging
- Implement waste charging in 2024, encourage waste reduction and recycling, and strengthen community facilities and support.
Food waste
- Develop adequate facilities by mid-2030s to handle the amount of food waste expected to be collected (i.e. around half of the daily food waste disposal) for transforming into energy or resources.
Disposable Plastic Products and Other Products proposed to be regulated under Producer Responsibility Schemes
- Regulate disposable plastic tableware and other single-use plastics in phases from 2024.
- Extend the recovery and recycling schemes to different types of products from 2025, including plastic beverage containers, beverage cartons, electric vehicle batteries, vehicle tyres and lead-acid batteries.
Waste to Energy
- Develop adequate waste-to-energy facilities by 2035.
Description of Projects
- Projects that can enhance efficiency of waste reduction and recycling as well as resources circulation.
- Projects that can facilitate implementation of MSW charging, collection and recycling of food waste and regulation of single-use plastics.
- Projects that can enhance community participation in clean recycling by helping the general public to recognise recyclables and advise on suitable outlets by utilising Artificial Intelligence, predicting and evaluating the effectiveness of community recycling support measures by utilising big data, etc.
- Development of waste-to-energy or waste-to- resources technology on waste plastics, waste tyres waste batteries and food wastes, etc.
- Development of smart waste and recyclables management technology by utilising Artificial Intelligence, Intellect of Things (IoT) robotics, and unmanned aerial vehicle remote sensing application, etc.