A Team of Four PolyU PhD Students Captures Excellence Award at 2025 Net Zero Tech International Contest
A team of four PhD students from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at PolyU clinched an Excellence Award at the 2025 Net Zero Tech International Contest. The team was recognised for their outstanding performance in the final round held at National Taiwan University on 19 August 2025.
Prof. AN Liang, Assistant Dean (External Engagement) of the Faculty of Engineering and Associate Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at PolyU, was the team advisor. The team comprised four PhD students: Miss HUO Xiaoyu, the team leader, as well as Miss BAI Yuran, Mr LONG Xin and Mr FU Enkang, members of the team. The PolyU team was selected as one of only 20 finalist teams from a pool of 230 registrations across 11 countries.
The project of the team is titled “Development of a smart mini-grid system for renewable energy storage and utilization”. The core innovation of the project is its use of vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) technology, which offers high energy capacity, long cycle life and the unique ability to decouple power and energy ratings.
The team developed a functional smart mini-grid that integrates their VRFB with a 5kW solar panel. The system’s feasibility was rigorously validated through a staged development process, beginning with a 50W prototype and scaling up to a fully functional 5kW/20kWh stack.
The project aims to improve energy efficiency, create economic value and reduce environmental impact. Beyond its technical merits, it supports the broader adoption of renewable energy and contributes to the global transition towards a low-carbon economy.
The organisers of the competition were National Taiwan University and the TECO Technology Foundation; the co-organisers included the Association of Pacific Rim Universities, the Taiwan University Alliance for Sustainable Governance, the National Taiwan University System and the College of Bioresources and Agriculture, National Taiwan University. The contest’s initiative aims to cultivate talent, enhance industry-academia collaboration, promote global exchanges in net-zero technologies and improve the dissemination of net-zero knowledge. The contest plans to establish professional prestige and international influence through multiple measures.
