If you want to see one of the leading causes of greenhouse gas emissions, just look at the walls around you. Buildings such as the ones we all live and work in are estimated to be responsible for nearly 40% of those emissions globally.
Buildings and their operations gave off a record 10 gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2021, making the need for governments and companies to tackle the issue more urgent than ever.
The world’s building stock is expected to double in size over the next three decades, but the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates carbon emissions from building operations need to be more than halved by 2030 if the world is to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Decarbonising buildings involves retrofitting existing buildings and incorporating smart technology and green solutions in new buildings to make them more energy efficient.
A number of global initiatives have been launched to work towards those goals, including non-profit climate leadership group C40’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Accelerator, the World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment, and the Clean Cooling Collaborative by the San Francisco-based ClimateWorks Foundation.
The process of decarbonising buildings is also a big business. International Finance Corporation (IFC) estimates that around US$24.7 trillion will be invested in green buildings across emerging market cities by 2030.
The global market for energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems alone is expected to generate revenue of more than US$280 billion by 2028, compared with around US$206 billion this year.
Hong Kong and Mainland China are the heart of this movement towards greener buildings. The Beijing government last year unveiled an action plan calling for higher energy-saving standards in buildings and greater use of renewable energy by buildings.
Meanwhile, in high-rise Hong Kong, where buildings account for a staggering 90% of total electricity consumption and 60% of its carbon emissions, a goal has been set to reduce the consumption of commercial buildings by up to 40% and residential buildings by up to 30% by 2050, compared with 2015 levels.
CLP Holdings Limited is committed to helping businesses in Hong Kong and other cities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) reduce their carbon footprints and adopt green building practices.
In March 2022, CLP’s wholly owned subsidiary CLPe completed its first centralised cooling project in the GBA, helping a shopping mall in one of Guangzhou’s bustling commercial areas to retrofit and upgrade its centralised cooling system.
In Hong Kong, CLPe helped Shui On Group install a new freshwater-cooled system at the Shui On Centre – a 34-storey Grade A office building – making it the city’s first Cooling-as-a-Service project.
The new system is controlled by the artificial intelligence (AI) management system PlantPRO, which uses machine learning technology to collect and analyse data and make real-time adjustments to provide the centre with the most energy-efficient air conditioning.
The system is expected to reduce electricity consumption by more than 30% compared with the existing seawater-cooled chiller plant, equivalent to a reduction of 370 tonnes of carbon emissions a year. CLPe is funding, designing, constructing, operating and maintaining the new system, while the Shui on Group will pay a monthly service fee throughout the 15-year contract period.
Meanwhile, CLPe is working with Chinachem Group in a 20-year partnership to bring the first zero-carbon chiller system of its kind to Hong Kong. Under a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer agreement, the old chiller plants at Nina Tower – the tallest construction in the New Territories – will be replaced with an AI-controlled water-cooled chiller system, and the electricity consumed will be matched by an equal amount of Green Electricity Certificates linked to a CLP Holdings’ renewable energy project.
The new air-conditioning system at Nina Tower will reduce electricity consumption by over 50% compared with the existing system, equivalent to 7,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year.
CLPe Associate Director for Engineering Alvin Lo, who is also the chief designer of the project, says CLPe tailored the chiller system to Nina Tower’s diverse uses, which include a hotel and shopping mall as well as office and public space.
“It is our pleasure to help Chinachem Group accelerate its decarbonisation efforts through an approach that combines sustainability and innovation. We’ll provide funding, design and engineering work to build the city’s first zero-carbon chiller system at Nina Tower, while Chinachem Group will pay us a monthly service fee throughout the contract period,” Lo explains.
“As a trusted partner, we will continue to offer sustainable energy and infrastructure solutions to our customers who share the same vision for sustainability in Hong Kong and other GBA cities,” he remarks.
CLPe has embarked on a mission to help shape the energy future of the GBA and seize opportunities arising from the country’s carbon neutrality goals. In December 2022, the company partnered with Guangdong Weixin Biological Technology Limited, a leading food and nutritional supplement manufacturer, to invest, build and run an integrated energy station at Guangdong Weixin Bio-Intellectual Industrial Park in Qingyuan, Guangdong province.
The energy station – CLPe’s first one-stop integrated Energy-as-a-Service project in the GBA – supplies chilled water, steam, and compressed air to meet the park’s operational needs in return for a service fee paid by Guangdong Weixin.
It is a blueprint for a greener tomorrow and a vision of the shape of buildings to come as technology-enabled energy solutions show the way towards a bright future for the dynamic and fast-growing region, and for smart cities worldwide.
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