An innovative collaboration between Hong Kong’s City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) and CLP Power Hong Kong Limited (CLPe) will see the two institutions collaborating in a study of low-carbon energy consumption technologies on the university campus.
The two sides have joined hands to accelerate the speed of decarbonization and promote more applications of renewable energy empowered by the advanced high-efficiency bifacial solar panels and Solar Power System.
Image: Collected
Renewable Energy Adoption
As part of the initiative, CLPe will leverage their own experience and technologies to provide a holistic ‘Solar power system-as-a-Service’ solution based on cutting-edge bifacial solar panels, which benefit from the absorption of sunlight from both sides.
on the rooftops of more than 30 buildings on the campus of a total floor area of up to 4,500 square metres. The system is predicted to generate 1.15GWhs of electricity annually.
The installation of this solar power system will lead to credible environmental benefits. According to the projection, the electricity will provide power for the need of approximately 280 households each year, while significantly reduce emission of CO2 by 450 tonnes of carbon at the same time.
Furthermore, the company CLPe plans to install a real-time monitoring system to make it possible to monitor the whole system’s working status and enable the control of the system’s operation.
Besides the energy gains, the project will provide the basis for a scientific programme of work led by CityUHK.
Passive radiative cooling paint, developed by the hi-tech start-up i2Cool, which is affiliated to CityUHK, will be applied on some rooftops to trial the novel technology. Once fully deployed, this paint – which reflects sunlight and reduces building temperatures – could also enhance solar power system generation.
As the president Professor Freddy Boey puts it in an announcement from CityUHK: Our university is committed to the vision of sustainable development, leading the world to tackle 21st century challenges through innovation. Our cooperation is a good example of CityUHK’s initiative to deal with the urgent environmental issues.
Future Collaboration and Expansion
Expected to begin in the third quarter of this year, and set for completion in the first quarter of 2025, the solar project is just the first phase of a longer relationship between CLPe and CityUHK.
There is a whole range of plans for collective efforts, such as energy saving, reduction of carbon emissions and efforts to improve sustainable development.
This collaborative project between CLPe and City University of Hong Kong is indeed a shining example of how ingenuity and collaboration between academia and solar industry can help to tackle the challenges of a low-carbon economy and promote education on energy use while, more importantly, enhancing sustainability. This article was published with The Conversation.