OREANDA-NEWS. May 28, 2012. HK Electric Clean Energy Fund, which provides funding for school projects to promote understanding of renewable energy and low carbon initiatives, is open for applications from now until mid-August.

The Fund, entering its seventh year, has been enhanced with a view to achieving greater diversity of projects while encouraging even more participation from schools.

“We welcome proposals, big or small. Starting from this year, we are going to group proposals into two categories with sponsorship ceilings up to HKD 15,000 and HKD 100,000 respectively. The former is best suited for schools wishing to try out with smaller scale projects in their initial participation. We hope that this, together with a simplified application procedure, will encourage more schools to come forward, ultimately benefiting more teachers and students,” said HK Electric General Manager (Corporate Development), Mr. Yee Tak-chow.

Since the inception of the Fund in 2006, HK Electric has provided more than USD 6 million to sponsor 86 projects in primary and secondary schools, and tertiary institutions, focusing mainly on the application of wind and solar energy for power generation on school campuses. From last year the Fund has extended sponsorship to local kindergartens.

Chief Executive Officer of Green Power, Dr. Man Chi-sum, a member of this year’s panel of adjudicators, told about 200 school representatives at the launch of the 2012/13 Clean Energy Fund-cum-experience-sharing seminar, that it was best if proposals could stimulate creativity and highlight the importance of sustainability and educational benefits.

Echoing this view, Mr. Yee said, “We also hope that schools can engage more students in their projects to maximise benefits. That is why we have made student participation one of the criteria for projects to be shortlisted.”

At the sharing session, school representatives were offered with an opportunity to learn from four outstanding awardees in previous years, including Tsung Tsin Primary School and Kindergarten, St. Edward’s Catholic Primary School, PLK Wong Wing Shu Primary School and Ching Chung Hau Po Woon Secondary School.

Apart from getting first hand information from previous awardees at the experience sharing session, schools are also encouraged to share knowledge and experience through ‘Clean Energy.iShare’, a dedicated web-based platform for the Fund. “Schools are also welcome to join in visits and school talks co-organised with the Environmental Division and Young Members Committee of The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers,” Mr. Yee added.

Applicants are reminded that the deadline for submission is 10 August 2012 and results will be announced in October 2012. Sponsored projects should be based in Hong Kong and be completed by 31 August 2013. Details and application forms are available on HK Electric's website: www.hkelectric.com/cleanenergyfund .

Apart from Dr. Man, other adjudicators are Chairman of Islands District Council, Mr. Chow Yuk-tong; Chairman of Advisory Council on the Environment, Professor Paul Lam Kwan-sing; Director (General Affairs) of Friends of the Earth (HK), Mr. Edwin Lau Che-feng; Chair Professor of Innovative Products & Technologies of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Professor Wallace Leung; and Deputy Director of Environmental Protection of Environmental Protection Department, Mr. Benny Wong Yiu-kam.