HKUST Annual Report 2022-2023

46 47 Energy Strategies during the year toward the goal of 15% energy reduction focused on both technical advancements and changing behavior. These included a campaign to raise awareness among laboratory users on equipment use and a student residence dashboard providing real-time energy readings and billing for the University’s Global Graduate Tower residents. Smart electricity meters in nine residential halls are also now capturing energy usage data, encouraging students to save energy. Overall, power usage was reduced by 2% compared with the 2014 baseline, a saving achieved despite the addition of new buildings and a campus population increase of nearly 5,000 in the past decade. Driving forward renewable energy generation, more photovoltaic panels were installed across campus in the second phase of the University’s large-scale solar power initiative. The project aims to reduce carbon emissions by 1.5 million kilograms per annum over a 25-year period. Waste By the end of 2022-23, the University had cut waste by 45% compared with the 2014 baseline, marking solid progress toward the target of 75% by 2028. Among the new ventures, a reusable meal container lending and return scheme was launched to reduce the use of disposal containers. A Zero Plastic Takeaway Container Pilot Program was also introduced to turn disposable waste into compost and energy. These moves provided a further boost to the existing smart recycling and waste-to-compost conversion endeavors on campus.