King-hang Lam

Water recycling with PV-powered UV-LED disinfection

Abstract Water is in short supply with countries vying for access to river heads. Hong Kong (HK) is no different. It relies on supply from Mainland China with other cities rivalling access. Yet there is still no great impetus for water conservation. This paper reports on progress in setting up a pilot biological wastewater treatment plant and a PV-powered UV-LED disinfection system plus a feasibility study carried out in conjunction with a local developer investigating the application of the treated water for irrigation. The objective is to incorporate the systems within a small-scale community for its contribution to water and energy conservation as well as establish the parameters for replication in other countries with potential up-scaling for urban application.

Study on Effect of Urban Pollution to Performance of Commercial Copper Indium Diselenide Modules

There has been little investigative study of the impact of city pollutants on module efficiency. In this study we have exposed two commercial Copper Indium Diselenide modules in the heart of the city and let them accumulate with dust for a period of time. Their performance is being measured regularly and thoroughly using an outdoor IV-curve measuring system (OMS) developed by the University of Hong Kong Centre of Renewable Energy (HKU CORE) under the guidance of Dr. Wilhelm Durisch from Paul Schere Institute, Switzerland. Changes in performances under different solar irradiation and temperature will be compared and the impact will be observed. The results will more accurately estimate the long-term decrease of annual energy yield of a BIPV system installed in densely populated urban environment due to pollution. It will provide a useful guideline to the frequency of cleaning schedules so that a balance between energy yield and cleaning cost can be achieved

Dynamic Model of BIPV System for Performance Prediction

The intermittent property of photovoltaic (PV) system requires some sort of energy storage or supplement to supply the similarly intermittent load demand. It can be achieved by connecting the PV generated electricity to the utility grid, or by energy storage device like battery. Either of these means would, to certain extent, affect the electrical network stability if not designed properly. An accurate supply and load forecast would also be a useful tool in ensuring the system stability and reliability when the supply and load can be predicted with higher accuracy. Furthermore, artificial intelligence could play an important role here when the controllable supply and loads can be regulated to promote energy efficiency and system stability. With the precise knowledge of the efficiency characteristics of different PV technologies, including those newly commercialised ones, the simulation of dynamic model of energy output from a building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system can be achieved as an indispensable part of the building energy management system (BEMS) in providing necessary control mechanism for the energy demand within the building. When the effect of exposure to weather on the system performance is considered as well, the dynamic model shall be able to adjust itself over time when the system components are degrading and the weather patterns changing. This concept of feedback loop is adopted as the basis of the dynamic model to realize its adaptive ability to learn through previous experience

From PILOT to ROLLOUT: Capacity building and stakeholder engagement to promote a territory-wide BIPV programme

This paper reports on progress of an initiative to set-up a territory-wide building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) schools programme (Fifty in Five) in Hong Kong (HK). It builds on lessons from a government and utility-funded demonstration project concluded in July 2005 led by the same researchers. The project completion overlapped with the HK Governments May 2005 announced first sustainability strategy that included its 1-2% target of electricity generation from renewable energy by 2012. Enthusiastic support for a Schools BIPV Programme already exists at schools and amongst educationalists as the educational benefits are widely accepted. However, several areas for capacity-building have been identified. These missing links are addressed and a revised funding strategy adopted in recognition of the political realities. The current status of the programme is described