Macau, 24 May 2022

To celebrate its 50^th anniversary, CEM launched the “Clean Energy City Challenge” to draw secondary students’ interest in environmental protection and usage of clean energies, as well as nurture talents engaged in scientific research and innovation. Macau Science Center will be the co-organizer of the event, with the technical support from the Science & Technology Promotion Association.

Macau is a populated city with little space for clean energy infrastructures. On the other hand, much remains to be done regarding energy conservation and environmental protection. Therefore, CEM encourage the secondary school students to develop ideas for products, services or installations that integrate clean energy infrastructures, injecting inexhaustible impetus into Macau’s sustainable economic and social development.

The Challenge is divided in two groups. One group of F1-F3 students will participate in the ‘Environment & Energy Conservation’ category in which they need to come up with ideas to use energy in a more efficient and environmental-friendly way (at home, school, workplace, community, etc.) with the ultimate goal to conserve resources and reduce energy consumption to protect the environment. Another group of F4-F6 students will participate in the ‘Clean Energies & Technology’ category in which they will propose ideas to design products, services or installations that integrate clean energy infrastructures in Macau. Students may also explore this concept integrated into the Greater Bay Area.

The response from the schools was overwhelming. A total of 54 teams from 23 secondary schools enrolled for the challenge. In March and April school teams had prepared and submitted their projects proposals. After that, a professional judging panel comprising representatives from Macau Science Center, Science & Technology Promotion Association, Environmental Protection Bureau, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and CEM selected the top 10 entries from each category. Subsequently CEM will sponsor these 20 teams to build models to be exhibited at Macau Science Center in August for judges and public viewing and voting.

Top 10 entries of F1-F3 students (Environment & Energy Conservation) are: Colégio do Sagrado Coração de Jesus – English Section (Team A), Escola Nossa Senhora de Fátima (Team B), Escola Secundária Pui Ching (Team A), Colégio Yuet Wah – English Section (Team A), Colégio Perpétuo Socorro Chan Sui Ki (Team A), Escola Secundária Lou Hau (Team A), Escola Fong Chong da Taipa (Team A),  Escola Choi Nong Chi Tai (Team A), Escola de Aplicação Anexa à Universidade de Macau (Team A) and Colégio de Santa Rosa de Lima – Chinese Section (Team A).

Top 10 entries of F4-F6 students (Clean Energies & Technology) are: Escola dos Moradores de Macau (Team A),  Escola Choi Nong Chi Tai (Team A), Escola Fong Chong da Taipa (Team A), Escola de Aplicação Anexa à Universidade de Macau (Team B), Colégio do Sagrado Coração de Jesus – English Section (Team A), Sheng Kung Hui Escola Choi Kou (Team C), Escola São Paulo (Team A), Escola Secundária Pui Va (Team B), Colégio Perpétuo Socorro Chan Sui Ki (Team A) and Escola Secundária Pui Ching (Team B).

Projects proposed by the students cover a wide range of spectrum. For example, environmentally friendly classrooms converting different energies that are commonly wasted in the classroom, such as kinetic, sound, or thermal energy into useful energy; solutions for the still low endurance and prolonged charging time of electric vehicles; a comprehensive park using kitchen waste to generate energy; and an intelligent public lighting system for delivering more efficient energy usage and many benefits to people's daily lives, etc.

The dates of the exhibition at the Macau Science Center in August will be announced in due course. The winning projects will be kept for further exhibition at the Eco Conservation Gallery of Macau Science Center and may be exhibited in other venues in the Greater Bay Area as well.