Chinachem tout Hong Kong’s first ‘zero-carbon’ air-conditioning system, with emissions offset by mainland wind farm
Author: Martin Choi
CLP Holdings is designing a water-cooled air-conditioning system for a Chinachem Group building, billing it as the first “zero-carbon” chiller system in Hong Kong because its carbon footprint will be offset by a renewable-energy project in mainland China. The group, through wholly-owned unit CLPe, signed an agreement on February 7, 2023 to upgrade the air-conditioning system at the 180,000-square-metre Nina Tower complex in Tsuen Wan. The new water-cooled system, controlled by artificial intelligence (AI), will improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions, the companies said. “We have strong commitment on both sides to reduce the energy being consumed,” said Alex Keisser, managing director of CLPe. “The effort being done by Chinachem to enable the zero-carbon [system], and us to guarantee this performance over the long term, can really make cooling activity free of CO2 impact.” CLP is Hong Kong’s largest power producer and greenhouse-gas emitter. The Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) has encouraged building owners and property developers to convert their existing air-cooled chillers to water-cooled systems to reduce energy consumption. Chinachem’s new system at Nina Tower, cooled with freshwater, will help the developer reduce electricity consumption by more than half compared with the existing system. The AI management system will use machine-learning technology to improve efficiency by monitoring and adjusting the air conditioning, the companies said.