Champion at By2050 Pitch Competition

A team of three students from UTAR emerged as Champion at the By2050 Pitch Competition, held in conjunction with Energy Asia Conference 2023 on 27 June 2023 at Exhibition Hall 5, Ground Floor, KL Convention Centre. The team consisting of Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science (LKC FES) students Thong Jin Cheng, Choy Jia Qi, and Chow Kok Keong, walked away with RM10,000 and a trophy.

The competition required the participants to pitch their ideas for five minutes. The team from UTAR developed a system that combined edge cloud technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual energy storage to achieve net zero carbon emissions to meet Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7). The system incorporated a virtual energy storage system (VESS) that seamlessly integrated with existing hardware devices, offering scalability from large-scale power plants to individual households. The AI was utilised to predict energy consumption patterns, allowing for efficient and personalised energy usage. Real-time monitoring and analysis were enabled through edge-cloud computing which utilised smart metres to collect and process data. The system was designed for scalability and to accommodate expansion by connecting additional edge nodes and facilitating future growth.

The students had been preparing for the competition since 17 June 2023 with a shared goal of creating a sustainable future. The team was inspired by Thong Jin Cheng’s groundbreaking Final Year Project. Their innovative concept aimed to revolutionise sustainable VESS by integrating cutting-edge technologies such as edge-cloud computing and (AI). To further improve and ensure their concept’s relevance, the students sought guidance from experts in their respective fields such as LKC FES Head of Department of Laboratory Management and Safety Administration Assoc Prof Ir Dr Wong Jianhui for her insights on electrical aspects and LKC FES academic Dr Ng Oon-Ee for his expertise in AI.

Feeling grateful, the team said, “We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Dr Wong from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering for her invaluable contributions and advice. Additionally, we express our sincere appreciation to Dr Ng Oon-Ee from the Department of Mechatronics and Biomedical Engineering, whose expertise in Artificial Intelligence has greatly enriched our understanding. For juniors, seize the opportunity when it comes, and seize it with confidence. Opportunities present themselves in different forms, and it is up to us to stay prepared.” “Quality elements demand nothing short of your best; let your hard work and confidence elevate the ordinary to extraordinary,” the team finally added.

The competition, organised by PETRONAS, aimed at exploring and developing innovative ideas in sustainability and creating a healthy competition among students in presenting innovative ideas on sustainable initiatives. It saw the participation of renowned institutions such as Monash University Malaysia, Sunway University, Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Management and Science University (MSU), Asia Pacific University (APU) and Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL).

UTAR congratulates the team on this achievement.