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The German Consulate General Hong Kong and the Faculty of Engineering and the Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability (IEES) of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have jointly organized an exhibition on Germany’s Energy Transition (“Energiewende” in German) which is a touring exhibition and has already been shown in numerous locations overseas. The exhibition has, for the first time, travelled to Hong Kong and is now available to the public from today to 22 November 2016 (except on Sundays) with free admission. Prior registration is not required.

The opening ceremony of the exhibition was officiated by Prof. Fanny Cheung, Pro-Vice-Chancellor / Vice-President of CUHK, Mr. Wong Kam-sing, Secretary for the Environment of the HKSAR Government, and Dr. Markus Ederer, State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany recently. The ceremony was followed by a question and answer session to discuss topics related to energy saving and the viability of renewable energies in Hong Kong and Germany.

For decades, energy has been a hot topic in the world, and the underlying adverse consequences of fossil fuels usage have exerted increasing demand for us to explore renewable alternatives. Responding to this, the “Energiewende” is an ambitious decision of the German Federal Government to produce energy on a sustainable basis, thus completely transforming its energy sector and making Germany one of the most energy-efficient and environmentally compatible economies in the world. It is a national task and paves the road to an environmentally friendly and economically successful future with a secure, clean and affordable energy supply.

CUHK has strived to promote energy research, both globally and regionally. In the ceremony, Professor Cheung highlighted the University’s excellence in research, education, industry collaborations and campus development in relation to sustainability and new energy. Mr. Wong emphasized the various efforts made by the HKSAR Government, including the issuance of the ‘Energy Saving Plan for Hong Kong’s Built Environment 2015~2025+’ and the reduction in the portion of electricity generation from coal from currently more than half to about 20% by 2020.  Dr. Ederer introduced and explained the experiences of various energy transition policies adopted in Germany.    

Mr. Wong said, ‘With the positive outcome of the Paris Agreement, Hong Kong must ready itself for making greater effort to tackle climate change holistically, as it is an issue with broad socio-economic impacts beyond environmental protection.  Recognising the need to step up climate actions and to draw up long-term policies, we will come up with an enhanced climate change work plan and a carbon reduction target for 2030, which will be available early next year.’   

Exhibition Details

About the Faculty of Engineering

The Faculty of Engineering has been taking a leading role in research and education in energy engineering. Since 2014, Prof. Wong Ching-ping, Dean of Engineering, has led more than 30 scholars to carry out the 5-year research project entitled ‘Smart Solar Energy Harvesting, Storage and Utilization’ (HK$60.33 million funding from the Hong Kong Research Grants Council) which has achieved a number of world records, putting Hong Kong on the map. Also, the Faculty established the Bachelor of Energy and Environmental Engineering Programme, which puts forth a strong platform and broad-based perspective for learning about and understanding the relations and trade-offs between energy and environment, and the ensuing engineering challenges in attaining viable solutions.  

More details of the research project entitled ‘Smart Solar Energy Harvesting, Storage and Utilization’ can be found at: https://sse.erg.cuhk.edu.hk/sse/.

About the Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability

Established in 2011, the Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability (IEES) aims to promote multidisciplinary research and education, and build synergy for strategic research programme development through its six flagship programmes:

• Climate Change, Environmental Monitoring and Management Programme
• Energy Technology and Conservation Programme
• Sustainable Urban Environment and Public Health Programme
• Environmental Policy and Governance Programme
• China Environment Programme
• Community Outreach Programme (CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia)

IEES will work closely with industrial, governmental and non-governmental organisations as well as different community stakeholders to build a better environment for our future generations.

More details of IEES can be found at: www.cuhk.edu.hk/iees.

CUHK not only advocates energy saving and carbon reduction in society, but also spares no efforts in implementing an energy conservation policy on its campus. Various advanced energy saving equipment and infrastructure have been installed and green buildings have been built over the years. Established in 2011, the Campus Planning and Sustainability Office has, on top of the energy saving hardware, strived to instill cultural and behavioural changes in its students and staff through various educational campaigns. The University won twice the Gold Award in the Public Organizations and Utilities Sector of the prestigious “Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence” and is also the only tertiary institution to have won the Gold Award, testifying to its work done in energy saving and environmental protection over the years.