Green Tech Fund approves eight projects in third round of applications
The Secretariat of the Green Tech Fund (GTF) said today (December 21) that a total of eight projects have been approved in the third round of applications, involving a grant of around $30 million. Together with the first and second rounds of applications, the GTF has so far approved 30 projects, involving a total grant of around $130 million.
Eighty applications were received in the third round of applications from December 2022 to March 2023. The eight research and development (R&D) projects approved in this round cover research projects on promotion of new energy technology, energy saving and green building, turning waste into resources and green transport. They are:
- New energy technology: Development of an innovative proton exchange membrane electrolysis cell to improve the performance and cost efficiency in hydrogen production, promoting the application of hydrogen energy; development of a seawater desalination system integrating with electrolysis for hydrogen production and an innovative membrane technology to explore the feasibility of using desalinated seawater to produce hydrogen and recovering the heat generated during hydrogen production for seawater desalination; development of an intelligent energy supply station powered by ammonia to promote the development and application of low-carbon energy.
- Energy saving and green building: Development of exterior material for building with textile waste which promotes energy saving of buildings.
- Turning waste into resources: Utilisation of waste ashes to replace cement in deep mixing piles for land reclamation, which reduces the disposal of waste ashes and carbon emissions in land reclamation; development of an innovative fat, oil and grease (FOG) interception technology to reduce FOG from wastewater of catering services and turn the recovered FOG into energy; develop an ammonia pretreament system for food waste, to enhance the efficiency in operation of O · Park, and promote the turning of food waste into energy.
- Green Transport: Development of aqueous rechargeable batteries, to solve the flammability problem of traditional electric vehicle batteries, and improve the safety and lifetime of batteries for electric vehicles.
The list of the eight approved R&D projects is given in the Annex. Relevant details are also published on the GTF webpage (www.gtf.gov.hk/en/project_information/approved_projects.html). These projects will help promote R&D as well as application of green technologies in different areas, thereby expediting the low-carbon transformation in Hong Kong to strive towards the goal of carbon neutrality.
The GTF is open for the fourth round of applications from today to March 20, 2024. R&D projects that fall into four areas, namely net-zero electricity generation, energy saving and green buildings, green transport, and waste reduction, will be accorded priority. The GTF welcomes applications from local public research institutions, R&D centres and local private companies to develop low-carbon and green technologies that cater for the needs of Hong Kong's environment and market. The GTF Secretariat will hold a webinar on January 19, 2024, to introduce the application procedures and priority themes of the GTF. Details are available on the GTF website (www.gtf.gov.hk).