Fair promotes better usage of energy by applying smart technology

Companhia de Electricidade de Macau (CEM) held its 14th Energy Fun Fair at Tap Seac Square yesterday, bringing several local schools together to showcase their projects promoting smart energy.
With this year’s theme of  “smart energy, better use of resources,” 15 local schools hosted games related to conserving energy at their respective booths.
The aim of CEM, an electrical company, is to promote better usage of energy by applying smart technology and using renewable energies to enhance awareness of the value of Earth’s resources and of energy conservation.
In collaboration with the Civic Municipal Affairs Bureau and the Youth and Education Affairs Bureau, the event was organized on a competitive basis and saw school teams entering three distinct contests.
The “Best Booth Design Contest” challenged students to design a game booth for the public’s learning and interaction, while the “Recycled Art Price Contest” invited students to create an art piece by using solely recycling electrical components. The event was capped off with a talent contest.
Schools also formed cheer groups to support their participating teams.
Linda Wong, a Form 4 student at the Santa Rosa de Lima English Section, said the event was an effective way to encourage the audience to become more aware of the consumption of energy in their daily lives.
“We want more people to make use of smart energy and make good use of the materials on Earth, [such as shifting from] hydropower to thermal power but not using fuels. The aim is to let them know what they do wrong in their daily lives,” she explained to the Times.
Wong believed that the event would boost the audience’s awareness of these issues as all 15 of the booths were together promoting smart energy and environmental sustainability.
Children up to 16 years old played at the game booths and won various prizes, including a ‘Power Boy’ watch, recycling bags and ‘Power Buddies’ cable-holders.
The players also went into a lucky draw, which featured an iPad Mini 4 and a Hong Kong Disneyland package with one-day entry tickets and round-trip jetfoil tickets for two.
Meanwhile, a special exhibition was held at the venue this year to showcase the winning entries of the “Building Blocks Competition” run by CEM from July to September, targeted at primary and secondary school students.
The objective of the competition was to strengthen the interest and knowledge of local students about CEM’s premises and operations. Winners were announced during the closing ceremony.
Another attraction was a booth showcasing the functions of some of CEM’s operational staff, such as of electricians, meter readers and emergency teams.
Benjamin Yue, principal advisor to CEM’s Executive Committee, remarked in his speech that CEM aimed to boost the interest and the knowledge of Macau citizens of electricity and its efficient and safe use. He added that the goal was that residents would play an active role in energy conservation and environmental protection.