22 Apr 2024
Third TERA-Award announces winners: Advanced Hydrogen Producing Equipment takes top prize
(22 April 2024) The results of the third TERA-Award Smart Energy Innovation Competition have been announced. The Gold Award and a prize of US$1 million were won by a project of advanced alkaline hydrogen-producing equipment from a Chinese research team, which significantly reduced the cost of hydrogen production, and was highly praised by the judges. The Silver Award went to an Israeli team that developed a new way to store hydrogen at close-to-ambient temperature and pressure. Another Chinese team won the Bronze Award for its development of a new material that can absorb and store heat or cold energy from very low to very high temperatures.
The award presentation ceremony for the third TERA-Award was held on 22 April, “Earth Day”. Participating research teams, startups, and investors from various regions gathered at Hong Kong Science Park to witness the rise of more zero-carbon innovations.
The Gold Award winner, which received a US$1 million prize, is Hua Xia Hydrogen Technology from China. The company has developed a high-efficiency design for hydrogen production through water electrolysis, requiring less than 4.3 kWh of DC power per cubic metre of hydrogen. It is suitable for direct hydrogen production from renewable energy, significantly reducing equipment costs and improving overall equipment performance and long-term operational stability. This hydrogen production technology can be widely applied in industrial, transportation, power, and construction scenarios, providing low-cost solutions for hydrogen production and utilisation. Mr Gao Xiaoping, Chairman and General Manager of Hua Xia Hydrogen Technology, stated that being awarded the Gold Prize at the TERA-Award would greatly help accelerate the industrialisation of their equipment.
The Silver Award project, “Reshaping H
2 Storage and Transportation”, comes from an Israeli research team. The team uses water and bicarbonate to store hydrogen, offering advantages such as being non-toxic, non-flammable and non-explosive. It can also be transported at close-to-ambient temperature and pressure, reducing the cost of hydrogen storage and transportation to below US$1 per kilogram.
The Bronze Award project replaces traditional cooling or heating solutions with high-efficiency phase change material (PCM) technology. PCM can absorb and store thermal energy or cold energy at temperatures ranging from -150°C to 1,000°C. PCM has achieved significant breakthroughs in material stability, environmental friendliness, and lifespan. This technology can be applied in scenarios such as air conditioning, cold storage, and data centres, providing safer and more stable temperature control while achieving zero-carbon peak shifting and energy savings of up to 20%.
The Pioneer Awards of this competition were awarded to teams from Gazelle Wind Power Limited in Ireland and Shenzhen Powdered Carbon Biotechnology Co., Ltd. The former is a patented floating offshore wind power generation platform that significantly reduces the amount of steel required and adopts modular component shipbuilding, which has less impact on the seabed and enhances stability. The latter collects carbon dioxide from industrial waste gases through its unique “electrochemistry + synthetic biology” cascading technology. Using synthetic biology technology, it replaces grains in the production of alternative proteins, agricultural microbial fertilisers, and fine chemical products, earning them the Pioneer Award.
The third TERA-Award has attracted 450 zero-carbon entrepreneurial projects from 59 countries and regions worldwide, an increase of more than 60% compared with the previous year. Dr Lee Ka-kit, Founder of the TERA-Award, feels encouraged by this, “The TERA-Award is no longer just a competition; it has become a gathering platform for global energy technology innovation entrepreneurs, providing comprehensive services for scientists to bring their research results to the market. I am also pleased to announce that in the future, the TERA-Award brand will be elevated from a competition to an accelerator platform for zero-carbon technologies. I hereby call for and welcome more global zero-carbon technology entrepreneurs to join the TERA-Award family and work together to create a more sustainable future through technological innovation!”
The officiating guest, Mr Michael Wong Wai-lun, Deputy Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said, “I am grateful to TERA-Award for bringing together innovative talents from around the world through this competition to contribute to the realisation of the zero-carbon vision. Your participation is crucial for environmental protection and carbon reduction. I encourage all teams to implement their solutions as soon as possible. In the future, the HKSAR Government will continue to work hand in hand with all sectors to jointly develop zero-carbon innovations.”
On the same day, a seminar and exhibition of outstanding projects were also held. Professor Gong Peng, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic Development) of The University of Hong Kong; Professor Lu Yi-chun, Co-founder and Chief Scientist of Luquos Energy; Dr Martin Zhu Yihao, CEO and Co-founder of i2Cool; Dr John Qiu Jian-hang, Chief Operating Officer - Renewable Business of Towngas; Mr Don Cheng Hill-kwong, Head of Commercial - Hong Kong Utility and Head of Sustainable Green Energy Hub of Towngas; and shortlisted TERA-Award teams from various regions discussed multiple topics such as the earth crisis, new energy, and zero-carbon innovative technologies.
Two hundred investors, research teams, and energy industry professionals attended and participated in the series of events of the TERA-Award. Mr James Tam, Partner of Bain Capital Private Equity (Asia), LLC, said, “I am delighted that this year’s TERA-Award competition has attracted startups from around the world with carbon-neutral technologies. The entries are of high quality, diverse, and have a wide range of excellent applications, especially in the fields of energy storage and hydrogen energy, which are major trends for the future. Our company is also willing to invest in promising innovative solutions in these areas and even provide application scenarios to help transform innovative concepts into commercialised results, accelerating their implementation.”
The third TERA-Award is jointly organised by The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas) and the State Power Investment Corporation Limited (SPIC). The Award is committed to creating a globalised entrepreneurial service platform that integrates application scenarios, prizes, and investments. In addition to the US$1 million prize for the Gold Award project, the winning teams also have the opportunity to receive support from investors and enterprises to implement their projects. Experts and investors from different fields will communicate with the winning teams to help the projects grow and be implemented quickly. The third TERA-Award competition continues the theme of “Exploring Zero-Carbon Innovations for the Future” to discover innovative technologies and solutions for smart energy worldwide, helping the country move towards the “30-60” dual carbon goals.
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3rd Third TERA-Award Smart Energy Innovation Competition Winners
| Award |
Project |
Company |
Country / Region |
| Gold Award |
R&D and Industrialisation of Off-grid and Advanced Alkaline Hydrogen Producing Equipment and Key Components |
Hua Xia Hydrogen Technology (Xiamen) Co., Ltd. |
China |
| Silver Award |
Reshaping H2 Storage and Transportation |
Hydro X |
Israel |
| Bronze Award |
World’s Leading Phase Change Thermal Management Expert |
Shenzhen Thero New Material Technology Co., Ltd. |
China |
| Pioneer Award |
Patented Floating Offshore Wind Power Generation Platform |
Gazelle Wind Power Limited |
Ireland |
| Carbon Dioxide Utilisation via Electrochemistry & Synthetic Biology |
Shenzhen Powered Carbon Biotechnology Co., Ltd. |
China |
| Rising Star Award |
Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis For Hydrogen Energy Storage |
Chunhua Hydrogen Energy Technology (Hunan) Co., Ltd. |
China |
| Merit Award |
Hydrogen Fuel Cell System & Alkaline Electrolyzer |
Haidriver (Qingdao) Energy Technology Co., Ltd. |
China |
| World’s First Semiconductor Heating Technology |
Zhongshang Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. |
China |
| The World’s Most Sustainable Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES), Based On Saltwater |
AQUABATTERY |
The Netherlands |
Press photos:
Photo 1:
Dr Lee Ka-kit (4th from left), Founder of the TERA-Award; Mr Michael Wong Wai-lun, GBS, JP (4th from right), Deputy Financial Secretary of the HKSAR; Dr Colin Lam Ko-yin (3rd from left), Executive Director of Henderson Land Development Company Limited; Mr Peter Wong Wai-yee (3rd from right), Managing Director of Towngas; Mr Alan Chan Ying-lung (2nd from right), Executive Chairman of the TERA-Award Organising Committee; Dr Ted Chang Chia-yuen (2nd from left), Member of the TERA-Award Judging Panel and CTO of Quanta Computer; and Dr John Qiu Jian-hang (1st from left), Chief Operating Officer – Renewable Business of Towngas; and Mr Don Cheng Hill-kwong (1st from right), Head of Commercial – Hong Kong Utility and Head of Sustainable Green Energy Hub of Towngas, at the third TERA-Award Award Presentation Ceremony.
Photo 2:
Dr Lee Ka-kit (centre, front row), Founder of the TERA-Award; Dr Colin Lam Ko-yin (5th from left, front row), Executive Director of Henderson Land Development Company Limited; Mr Augustine Wong Ho-ming (3rd from right, front row), Executive Director of Henderson Land Development Company Limited; Mr Andrew Fung Hau-chung (3rd from left, front row), Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of Henderson Land Development Company Limited; Mr Peter Wong Wai-yee (5th from right, front row), Managing Director of Towngas; Mr Lu Jianming (2nd from right, front row), Deputy General Manager of Finance Department of China Power International Development Limited, representative of SPIC; Dr Ted Chang Chia-yuen (4th from left, front row), Member of the TERA-Award Judging Panel and CTO of Quanta Computer; Mr Alan Chan Ying-lung (4th from right, front row), Executive Chairman of the TERA-Award Organising Committee; Mr Edmund Yeung Lui-ming (2nd from left, front row), Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of Towngas; Dr John Qiu Jian-hang (1st from right, front row), Chief Operating Officer – Renewable Business of Towngas; Mr Don Cheng Hill-kwong (1st from left, front row), Head of Commercial – Hong Kong Utility and Head of Sustainable Green Energy Hub of Towngas; Mr Simon Ngo Siu-hing (3rd from right, back row), Head of Engineering – Hong Kong Utility of Towngas; Mr Lam Ming-wing (4th from right, back row), Head of Group Human Resources and Head of Group Safety and Environment of Towngas; Mr Martin Kee Wai-ngai (4th from left, back row), Chief Operating Officer – Mainland Utilities of Towngas; Mr Zhou Hengxiang (2nd from left, back row), Chief Operating Officer – Gas Resources of Towngas; Mr Yang Jun (3rd from left, back row), Chief Operating Officer – Extended Business of Towngas; Mr Jerry Hu Yong (1st from right, back row), Deputy Chief Investment Officer of Towngas; Dr Aglaia Kong Chio-fai (1st from left, back row), Chief Technology Officer of Henderson Land Development Company Limited; and Ms Kathy Pun Yonghua (2nd from right, back row), Chief Coordinator of the TERA-Award, in a group photo with the prize winners of the third TERA-Award Competition.
Photo 3:
Dr Lee Ka-kit, Founder of the TERA-Award, hopes that through the TERA-Award, scientists, entrepreneurs and zero-carbon technology innovators from around the world will work together to promote the development and application of zero-carbon technologies and sustainable solutions.
Photo 4:
Mr Michael Wong Wai-lun, GBS, JP, Deputy Financial Secretary of the HKSAR, looks forward to the TERA-Award discovering more innovative smart energy technologies to promote sustainable development.
Photo 5:
Dr Lee Ka-kit (right), Founder of the TERA-Award, presents the award to the representative of the Gold Award winner, Hua Xia Hydrogen Technology (Xiamen) Co., Ltd.
Photo 6:
The representative of the Israeli team, the Silver Award winner of the TERA-Award competition, delivers an acceptance speech via video link.
Photo 7:
Dr Ted Chang Chia-yuen (right), Member of the TERA-Award Judging Panel and CTO of Quanta Computer, presents the award to the representative of the Bronze Award winner.
Photo 8:
Mr Peter Wong Wai-yee (left), Managing Director of Towngas, presents the awards to Chunhua Hydrogen Energy Technology (Hunan) Co., Ltd., the winner of the Rising Star Award of the third TERA-Award.
Photo 9:
Mr Peter Wong Wai-yee (centre), Managing Director of Towngas, presents the Pioneer Awards to an Irish team and a Chinese team.
Photo 10:
Mr Alan Chan Ying-lung (centre), Executive Chairman of the TERA-Award Organising Committee, presents the Merit Awards of the third TERA-Award.
Photo 11:
Professor Lu Yi-chun, Co-founder and Chief Scientist of Luquos Energy, shares her experience in developing the “Low-Cost Flow Battery” project, which won the Bronze Award in the inaugural TERA-Award Competition.
Photo 12:
Dr Martin Zhu Yihao, CEO and Co-founder of i2cool, winner of the Gold Award in the second TERA-Award Competition, shares the applications of their “Electricity-free Cooling Technology”.
Photo 13:
Dr John Qiu Jian-hang, Chief Operating Officer – Renewable Business of Towngas, talks about the application scenarios for zero-carbon technologies.
Photo 14:
Mr Don Cheng Hill-kwong, Head of Commercial - Hong Kong Utility and Head of Sustainable Green Energy Hub of Towngas, discusses the latest development in hydrogen energy.
Photo 15:
Mr James Tam, Partner of Bain Capital Private Equity (Asia), LLC, visits the exhibition of many outstanding participating projects and winning projects from this and previous years at the competition’s award presentation ceremony venue, seeking to invest in promising innovative solutions to turn innovative concepts into commercialised results.
Photo 16:
The award presentation ceremony features an exhibition of outstanding projects from this year and previous years, attracting numerous investors, research teams and energy industry professionals to visit.
Photo 17:
The Gold Award winner developed high-efficiency electrodes, composite diaphragms, and other core materials to build an industrial chain for water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment.
Photo 18:
The Israeli team developed a method of storing hydrogen using water and bicarbonate, which can be transported at close-to-ambient temperature and pressure, reducing the cost of hydrogen storage and transportation, earning them the Silver Award.
Photo 19:
The Bronze Award-winning project uses high-efficiency phase change material technology to replace traditional cooling or heating methods. It can be applied in scenarios such as air conditioning, cold storage, and data centres, providing safer and more stable temperature control.
Photo 20:
The Irish team wins the Pioneer Award for their patented floating offshore wind power generation platform, which significantly reduces the amount of steel required and adopts modular component shipbuilding, resulting in less impact on the seabed.
Photo 21:
A project from an innovative technology team collects carbon dioxide from industrial waste gases and uses synthetic biology technology to replace grains in the production of alternative proteins, agricultural microbial fertilisers, and fine chemical products, earning them the Pioneer Award.
Photo 22:
The Rising Star Award-winning project achieves high-efficiency water electrolysis for hydrogen production through a proton exchange membrane.
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The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited
Mr Addie Lam
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Tel: 2963 2578 / 6702 6449
Email:
addie.lam@towngas.com |
Ms Kara Kwong
Senior Corporate Affairs Officer
Tel: 2963 3497 / 6698 3357
Email:
kara.kwong@towngas.com |