PolyU has established a new task force to drive the development of a carbon neutral campus through adoption of best practices and green technologies, including PolyU’s own path-breaking research and innovations.

The Task Force on Campus Carbon Neutrality, led by Prof. Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation), will draw up a roadmap outlining relevant action plans, achievable goals and milestones.

This initiative is part of PolyU’s efforts to support the Government’s goal for Hong Kong to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. The Government’s climate action plan has set out four decarbonisation strategies for Hong Kong, including net-zero electricity generation, energy saving and green buildings, green transport and waste reduction – strategies in many areas of which PolyU researchers have been pioneering in research and in innovation.

PolyU’s Task Force comprises expert members from different PolyU faculties as well as from various Research Institutes and Centres under the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research. The Campus Facilities and Sustainability Office and the Campus Development Office are also key players.

PolyU researchers across departments in all eight faculties and schools have been engaged in research activities geared towards carbon neutrality. Some of the deliverables from their research have been utilised on campus while others have been applied elsewhere via different research collaboration contracts and PolyU consultancy activity.

The Task Force will explore how to expand the application of PolyU’s research with a view to helping the city achieve its carbon neutrality goal. Meanwhile, the University will continue to pool top researchers from various disciplines to work cohesively to achieve carbon neutrality on campus.

The carbon neutrality group will also further strengthen existing green initiatives on campus. Such initiatives include installation of smart energy meters that enable big-data analytics for energy optimisation; provision of on-demand air-conditioning to reduce energy wastage; optimisation of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) equipment to improve energy efficiency and reduce electricity consumption; and installation of more solar panels across the campus to generate clean energy.

In addition to the establishment of the Task Force, this year, PolyU is the Convenor of the Hong Kong Sustainable Campus Consortium and is thus committed to playing a leading societal role in the pursuit of carbon neutrality.