COOL Captains to test solar-powered device in Antarctica

Issued by:
CLP Holdings Limited

Five CLP IT and engineering professionals, dubbed COOL Captains, will be bringing their indigenously-designed solar-powered energy device, embedded in a sledge, to Antarctica to test its performance under extreme weather conditions and its endurance in the rugged, icy Antarctic landscape.

Aimed at supporting polar explorer Sir Robert Swan’s fossil-fuel-free journey between the South Pole and the Antarctic Coast in 2012, the solar-powered equipment is expected to serve as a mobile mini power station and provide energy for heating, cooking and transforming ice into water. The equipment in its prototype form comprises flexible thin-film solar PV panel and four batteries for power storage. It will be placed onto a customised sledge in Argentina to form a complete system.

In addition, the COOL Captains will retrofit the telecommunication system at the 2041 E-Base so that weather data can be collected and transmitted to the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) for analysis. The meteorological data will enable HKUST to assess the rate of climate change in Antarctica and project its impact on the environment.

These activities mark the second year of CLP’s Project COOL, which continues to offer an exceptional opportunity for employees to apply their professional skills to a meaningful cause. The project is in line with the company’s Climate Vision 2050, which commits CLP to reducing the carbon intensity of its generation portfolio by 75% by 2050. As interim targets, CLP is committed to having non-carbon-emitting generation accounting for 30% of its generation by 2020, of which 20% will be from renewable energy sources.

This year’s COOL Captains are professionals from the company’s operations across the Asia-Pacific region. They were selected among 30 employees who volunteered to participate in the expedition. The COOL Captains are:

For details about CLP’s COOL Captains and their Antarctic experience, please visit their blogs at https://www.clpgroup.com/projectcool/en/index.html

Project COOL is a carbon-zero expedition. All CO2 emissions generated during the three-week expedition will be offset by accredited energy efficiency projects offered by TRUenergy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the CLP Group.

2011 COOL Captains: (From left to right) Fan Xiangping, Lucy Carter, Abhay Potdar, Fatima Lam, Nam Quach.

The 2010 COOL Captains present the Project COOL flag to the 2011 team.

CLP senior executives and guests cheer up the COOL captains at the send-off reception on 1st March. From left (back): Mr. Benjamin Lui, Operations Director – China, CLP Holdings; Mr Peter Littlewood, Group Director – Operations, CLP Holdings; Ms Jane Lau, Director – Group Public Affairs, CLP Holdings; Mr. Les Luck, Consul-General, Australian Consulate-General, Hong Kong, Macau; Mr. Gaddam Dharmendra, Consul-General, Consulate-General of India, Hong Kong; Dr. Rebecca Lee, Polar Researcher and Founder of Polar Museum Foundation; Mr Peter Tse, Group Executive Director, CLP Holdings; and Mr Paul Poon, Chief Operating Officer, CLP Power Hong Kong.