Associate Professor Chua Kian Jon Ernest and his research team were conferred top honours at this year’s ASEAN Outstanding Engineering Achievement Awards. The awards were presented at the 36th Conference of ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organisations (CAFEO), held from 12 to 14 November 2018 in Singapore, the Resorts World Sentosa.
The annual award is awarded to distinguished groups or individuals in recognition of an engineering achievement that demonstrates outstanding engineering skills and which has made a significant contribution to the progression of the field and the quality of life in ASEAN.
Assoc Prof Chua and his team, in collaboration with KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology), were recognised for their achievements in developing a quad-generation system that paved the way for a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective way of producing key essentials for daily living – electricity, water, air-conditioning and heat. Energy efficiency is optimised by maximising and cascading the recovery of waste energy that is generated.
Uniquely designed for use in tropical countries, the plant offers greater energy efficiency and cost savings, and it is also more space efficient. In addition, this novel system can significantly reduce carbon dioxide emission by more than 30 per cent while addressing the various needs of electricity, water, cooling and heating. Overall, this novel approach could cut energy usage by 25 to 30 per cent. Additionally, the 4-in-1 plant is also less bulky. Users can also enjoy cheaper and a more resilient supply of utilities. Furthermore, this approach could potentially reduce Singapore’s carbon emission by 2 to 4 per cent at business-as-usual levels.
