The Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (BEEE) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is proud to announce several significant research funding achievements by our academic members. These successes reflect our commitment to advancing innovative technologies and sustainable solutions for the built environment, both locally and globally.
NSFC/RGC Collaborative Research Scheme 2025/26
Project Title: Development of high performance and durable solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) for coupling with Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) reactor for green synthetic liquid fuel production
Principal Investigator: Prof. Ni Meng, Head of Unit
Amount Awarded: HKD 3,600,000
Project Overview:
This project aims to develop advanced solid oxide electrolysis cells for efficient co-electrolysis of water and carbon dioxide, enabling integration with Fischer-Tropsch reactors for green synthetic liquid fuel production. The team will engineer novel perovskite cathode materials using entropy engineering and in situ nanoparticle exsolution, supported by machine learning and theoretical modelling.
Multiphysics simulations will evaluate system performance under fluctuating renewable power input, and a coupled system will be developed to demonstrate fuel production. The project will support carbon neutrality by advancing renewable energy storage, carbon dioxide utilization, and clean fuel technologies, contributing to sustainable energy development in Hong Kong, the Nation and globally.
Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao Technology Research Programme (Type C) 2025
Project Title: Development of key technologies for lightweight, high-performance proton-conducting fuel cells or electrolysers towards the additive manufacturing for carriers and portable devices
面向載具及便攜設備的增材製造輕質高性能質子導體燃料電池或電解池關鍵技術開發
Principal Investigator: Prof. Ni Meng, Head of Unit
Amount Awarded: RMB 3,000,000
Project Overview:
This project will develop high performance, compact and lightweight solid oxide cells (SOCs) capable of working as a fuel cell for powering unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and as an electrolyzer for on-site oxygen production by carbon dioxide electrolysis on Mars. Additive manufacturing technology will be developed for SOC fabrication. Numerical modeling will be conducted for analyzing the Multiphysics processes in the SOCs, such as heat and mass transfer, charge transport, and electrochemical reactions, for design optimization.
National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the National Science Centre (NCN) of Poland Cooperation Research Program
Project Title: Fire dynamics of high-power electrical network and multi-scale smart risk evaluation model for new-energy buildings
新能源建築高能量電網火災動力學及多尺度智慧預測模型研究
Principal Investigator: Prof. Huang Xinyan, Associate Professor
Amount Awarded: RMB 1,500,000
Project Overview:
New-energy buildings introduce an indoor high-energy electrical network that uses a tremendous amount of high-power cables to link the power generation system, energy storage system and fast charging/discharging system, posing significant fire risks and complex fire behaviours. This international collaborative research will conduct fundamental research on the fire dynamics of high-power cables and relevant cable fire events in new-energy buildings all around the world, develop AI-powered fire models to evaluate and mitigate these fire risks, and propose a new scientific framework to guide the overall fire safety design strategies for new-energy buildings.
We congratulate Prof. Ni and Prof. Huang on their outstanding achievements and look forward to the impactful outcomes of these projects. These successes further strengthen BEEE’s position as a leader in research and innovation for a sustainable future.
