Organized by Schneider Electric
WinnerKeith CHAN and Jasmine LEE
Jasmine and Keith, EVMT graduates of 2014, were winners of the Schneider Electric Global Business Case Challenge “Go Green in the City 2014.” The team developed a mobile app that could monitor, analyze and manage energy consumption activities, coming out ahead of contenders from all over the world.
Keith CHANParticipating in Go Green in the City 2014 was a highlight of my undergraduate studies. After studying the behaviors and incentives of different stakeholders in environmental management for 4 years, I had the chance to develop an integrated solution to energy management issues together with my partner Jasmine. We have carefully considered the costs and benefits of our solution to different stakeholders, and made modifications to enable as much incentive as possible. The technical and financial feasibility were then assessed by our mentor from Schneider Electric, who had generously provided us with insights and advice from his practical experience. Throughout the process of mentoring, we enjoyed the privilege of being one of the 120 semi-finalist teams, which was the opportunity learn about the industry of energy management – an important supplement to undergraduate learning. Jasmine and I were excited to find out in April that we were selected as one of the top 12 finalist teams for the competition, and even more excited when the Vice President of Schneider Electric announced our championship in June. After winning the competition, we have leveraged on media coverage to promote our idea. This experience has significantly added to our confidence and ambition in putting forward innovative, inter-disciplinary solutions. We now treat ourselves as ambassadors of our human-oriented philosophy in solving sustainability issues.
Jasmine LEEI would have so much to share about my experience of joining Go Green in the City 2014 since it has been an unforgettable experience. Yet, it will be even more meaningful to take this opportunity to thank people who have helped our team throughout and after the competition. First of all, I would like to thank the organizer Schneider Electric for providing resources that enriched our energy knowledge and running this special case competition. I describe it as special because few case competitions are about energy and environment. Secondly, thanks to our team’s mentor, who provided very useful advice to us. For instance, he reminded us to consider and mention the financial feasibility of our case, which is of utmost importance from a business point of view. Thirdly, I feel grateful to the support from professionals in the energy industry after the competition. They showed interest in our idea and gave us comments to further improve its applicability in Hong Kong. Last but not least, thanks Division of Environment for providing interdisciplinary trainings to our team during our study in Environmental Management and Technology. These trainings enabled our team to think in multi perspectives and developed an all-rounded case.