UTAR Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science (LKC FES) Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) students Dylon Lam Hao Cheng and Miow Xie Cherng were among the 15 finalists chosen as winners at the Postgraduate Industry Based Research Competition in Advancing Digital Energy Technology. They received their prizes at the Digital Energy Asia Summit 2023 (DEAS 2023), which took place on 7 and 8 June 2023 at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

The duo walked away with RM500 and a certificate of achievement each as the winning prize. They also received an invitation to attend DEAS 2023 (USD300 entrance fee) and RM200 in cash for transport and poster printing so they could showcase their posters at DEAS 2023.

The competition aimed to provide a platform for postgraduate students to showcase their research in technology and digital energy, and foster collaboration between academia and industry. It also aimed to provide postgraduate students an opportunity to build a strong academic and professional profile.

Dylon Lam was placed sixth among the 15 finalists. His research was titled “A battery degradation model to maximize financial benefits in peak demand reduction applications” and he was supervised by LKC FES academics Senior Prof Ir Dr Lim Yun Seng and Assoc Prof Ir Dr Wong Jianhui.

Speaking about his research poster, he said, the Energy storage systems (ESS) play a vital role in grid services such as peak demand reductions. However, the dynamic nature of the battery operating conditions in peak demand reduction applications can significantly impact battery degradation, hence affecting its service lifespan and overall financial performance. Therefore, a battery degradation model is proposed to improve the ESS lifespan and its financial performance. Several case studies have been carried out to demonstrate the proposed model’s advantages over existing battery degradation models and its use in peak demand reduction scenarios.”

Expressing his gratitude, Dylon Lam said, “I would like to thank my supervisors, Prof Lim and Dr Wong for their support in this research. With their guidance, I was able to learn and convey my project idea enthusiastically. I would also like to thank my colleague, Miow, for his assistance and encouragement.”

Miow, on the other hand, emerged as the 11th finalist out of the 15 finalists with his poster titled “ANN-based controller for managing variable refrigerant volume air conditioning system for energy saving”. He was supervised by LKC FES academics Senior Prof Ir Dr Lim Yun Seng and Dr Hau Lee Cheun.

“The ANN-based Controller for Managing Variable Refrigerant Volume Air Conditioning System for Energy Saving” -- An Artificial Neural Network (ANN)-based controller is proposed to determine the temperature set point profile for a Variable Refrigerant Volume Air Conditioning (VRV AC) System. A real case study is performed at Daikin R&D Sg Buloh to determine the performance of the controller. The setup is made of a VRV AC system, refrigerators, solar irradiance meter, indoor temperature sensors, and a building energy management system called intelligent Touch Manager (iTM). The proposed controller is made of 2 parts, robust normalization, and the decision-making ANN model. The robust normalization method is used to standardize the building load demand to improve the effectiveness of the decision-making ANN model. The proposed controller performs the action based on building load demand, grid frequency, solar irradiance, indoor temperature, and outdoor temperature. The change in temperature set point affects the power consumption of the overall system and results in a reduction in energy consumption”, Miow added.

Miow expressed, “Participating in this competition has been a truly transformative experience for me. It did not only raise my professional standing but also taught me important lessons that may shape my career. One crucial lesson I learned from the panellist discussions is the importance of effective communication. I realised being able to convey ideas clearly is instrumental in bridging the gap between innovation and understanding. Besides, enhancing my communication skills will make me a more impactful engineer, enabling me to effectively convey complex concepts and ideas to diverse audiences.”

He added, “Another value is lifelong learning. Engaging with other participants and observing their projects have exposed me to new ideas and inspired me to continuously expand my knowledge and skills. I came to understand that in today’s rapidly evolving engineering landscape, staying at the forefront of technological advancements is indispensable for professional growth and success. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of this transformative event, and I am excited to apply the knowledge gained to future endeavours in the field of engineering. Lastly, I would like to extend my gratitude to my supervisors, Prof Lim and Dr Hau for their guidance and advice.”

Themed Advancing Digital Energy Technology, the competition was organised by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Centre of Electrical Energy Systems, in collaboration with IEEE Power and Energy Society Malaysia Chapter and IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society Malaysia Chapter, and sponsored by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia (MOHE) and Ezra and Macquarie.

UTAR congratulates Dylon Lam and Miow on their amazing achievement at the competition.