The Review 2007

22 23 to start pooling their expertise to find less environmentally harmful ways of meeting China’s future energy needs. Apart from the wind turbine, scholars are investigating the use of nanomaterials for solar power conversion, the chemistry of fuel cells, biofuels, harnessing heat from car engines to improve their efficiency, the cost and feasibility of DC power delivery systems and the development of policies to promote cleaner energy generation without impeding the reliability of supply. Felix Wu, Philip Wong Wilson Wong Professor in Electrical Engineering, said: “China is a fast developing country and other countries in the developing world will probably follow her path. If China can be more efficient and clean in its energy production, then there is hope for the whole world. That is why we have come together, we hope collectively that we can help to solve some of the problems China faces.” It has given undergraduate students a chance to be involved in a real-life project because they helped to test the micro turbines in the field. Dr Michael Leung (left) and Dr Dennis Leung testing the micro turbines Harnessing Nature’s Energy Technology to harness energy from wind has been perfected at the University using micro wind turbines small enough to fit on people’s balconies, in a project that illustrates a growing research interest here in energy and the environment. The 30-centimetre wide turbines are able to gener- ate electricity at wind speeds as low as one metre per sec- ond. By comparison, conventional wind turbines need wind speeds of five metres per second or more to start operating and require significantly more space. The Department of Mechanical Engineering de- veloped the turbines jointly with the private company, Motorwave Limited, to harness energy in low-wind, urban conditions. The turbines are made from moulded plastic and can be connected together to increase power output. Their energy is stored in batteries and they cost about one-quarter of a conventional wind turbine for equivalent power output. The collaboration has enabled the department to de- velop skills in testing renewable energies. “It has also given undergraduate students a chance to be involved in a real-life project because they helped to test the micro turbines in the field,” Associate Professor Dr Dennis Leung said. Research on cleaner energy was also given a boost, in 2007, when academics from the Faculties of Architecture, Business and Economics, Engineering and Science agreed