solar power

adventages
lack of pollution given off by solar panels when generating electricity
cheaper

disadventages
solar panels are expensive to build
difficult to storing solar energy until it is needed

Ocean Park warms to benefits of solar power

Ocean Park plans to power with solar energy some of the new facilities in its HK$5.5 billion expansion, theme park chairman Allan Zeman has disclosed.



He said the park is discussing with several companies worldwide the possibility of designing environmentally friendly buildings using solar energy for their cooling and water purification systems.

Zeman said he wants to bring in new technologies to enhance Ocean Park's reputation as an environmentally friendly theme park while, at the same time, help visitors learn more about conserving energy.

Friends of the Earth director Mei Ng Fong Siu-mei welcomed the idea.

"Theme parks like Ocean Park and Hong Kong Disneyland should utilize more green technology," Ng said.

"They should not only concentrate on making money."

Andrew Leung Yee-tak, a building and construction professor at City University of Hong Kong, said the use of solar energy has already been tested by the Science and Technology Park, which has installed solar energy panels on the side of one building.

Leung believes Ocean Park is an ideal venue for the use of solar energy, because it is spacious and exposed to sunshine.

He said a 0.37-meter-square photovoltaic panel is able to generate light equivalent to 40 watts, meaning a 35,000 sq ft area will provide enough energy for 10,000 lights.

Leung said the theme park could also use solar energy for some of its rides not to mention the expanded water world that Zeman promised and which will include such marine specimens as white whales, polar bears, penguins, walruses and sharks.