In normal times, Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) is one of the world’s busiest airports, handling more than a flight a minute at peak times and moving over five million tonnes of cargo a year.

Its success relies on a failsafe, uninterrupted, round-the-clock power supply – and, as the world moves towards a zero-carbon future, sustainable energy management and energy saving have become top priorities.

To help HKIA better manage its energy consumption, CLP Power worked together with Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) to use innovation to put green technologies to their most effective use.

“We weren’t content with going down the conventional route of just suggesting equipment upgrades to improve our customer’s energy performance,” explains CLP Power's Deputy Director of Corporate Customer Experience K.Y. Lo.

Collaborating with AA, CLPe Solutions Limited (CLPeS), and their business partners, CLP Power came up with two ingenious energy solutions for HKIA: The city’s largest battery energy storage system (BESS), and a smart predictive air conditioning control system. 

Constructed and installed by CLPeS, the system comprising over 400 lithium batteries is housed in three wheeled cargo containers, allowing it to serve as flexible power bank to address imminent needs at any location. 

Each container is 40 feet long, weighs 70 tonnes, and is equipped with fully automated battery management, power conversion, air conditioning, fire and lighting computer control and monitoring systems.

Staying cool under pressure

HKIA is now the world’s first airport to have a predictive control air conditioning system that uses big data analytics to forecast and deliver the optimal amount of cool air for its passenger terminal.

As well as drawing on meteorological data such as temperature, humidity, solar radiation, cloud amount, and wind speed, the system collects hourly flight schedule data to estimate crowd flows and predict the cooling demand in Terminal 1 for the subsequent 24 hours.

It then automatically adjusts the central air conditioning system in real time to provide the right amount of cooling, eliminating unnecessary energy consumption. 

Amen Tong, General Manager, Technical Infrastructure of AA, says: “HKIA is the first airport in the world to adopt a predictive control system for its air conditioning. The system can pre-adjust and ensure the most comfortable cooling volume and temperature to achieve energy saving, while maintaining the comfort of passengers in the terminal and enhancing their airport experience.”  

The sky is the limit

CLP Power, AA, CLPeS and their business partners worked together for almost two years to conceptualise, design, and install the two innovative systems that have transformed the energy performance of HKIA.

Their accomplishment was made possible by combining insights from professionals in different disciplines, and by working together in a spirit of trust and open-mindedness to explore exciting new possibilities.

The partnership does not stop here. It will continue to optimise the system and raise energy efficiency to new levels with the help of machine learning.

CLP Power is also exploring the use of the predictive air conditioning control models and the application of BESS through green partnership in other sectors such as large shopping malls using central cooling systems, and buildings and sites where backup power is needed to supplement generators.

The successful partnership at HKIA has taken green technology to new heights in Hong Kong and demonstrated how the sky is the limit when innovation, expertise, and a powerful commitment to sustainability join forces.