Sphere
#35
2014
19
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experience on mobile service.” HGC will
support the development of these new
hotspots with an extended optical-fibre
network – supported by 1G broadband
backhaul – to more shopping arcades and
public areas.
Other cities and countries are following a
similar strategy including Singapore, Seoul,
Tokyo, the UK and the United States where
telecom operators and governments are
expanding their Wi-Fi coverage. Hong
Kong will not be left behind. The Hong
Kong government announced they would
double the number of free hotspots from
10,000 to 20,000.
Jennifer notes, “While the government
is increasing Wi-Fi hotspots in public
areas such as government buildings,
hospitals, parks and community centres,
HGC is focusing on commercial districts
and areas with heavy traffic such as
shopping malls, streets and clubhouses in
private residential areas. Together, we are
enhancing the overall Wi-Fi coverage in
Hong Kong.”
Interconnectivity is incredibly important
for any city (and country) as it enables
citizens to better interact with their
world. HGC’s increased Wi-Fi coverage
will allow Hong Kong to take the next step
into the future by ensuring all customers
have the fastest possible connection at
their fingertips.
SMART GRID, SMART CITY
Hong Kong connectivity isn’t just for people
however. Hongkong Electric Co Ltd (HK
Electric) is finding a path to a future where
intelligent electrical devices can talk to one
another and the energy provider through an
‘energy Internet’ — the Smart Grid.
Since the first alternating current power grid
was installed in 1886 in Great Barrington,
Massachusetts, the pursuit of a more
efficient grid has never ceased. For much
of history, reliability was the main aim of
improving grid efficiency. However, modern
consumers demand more: their energy
must not only be reliable, but ideally clean
and cheap as well. Enter the Smart Grid.
A smart grid can use data about the flow of
power through a system to reroute, store
and direct energy where needed. This
benefits the system by reducing waste and
directing energy where it is needed, when
it is needed.
The term is new — the concept isn’t.
Twenty-year veteran of HK Electric, Mr
Alex Lee, Senior Meter Engineer, explained
that efforts to improve the grid have
resulted in waves of ‘smartening’. In the
1970s and 1980s, ‘smartening’ was used
to improve the reliability of Hong Kong’s
power supply. This reliability is vital in
a city that has more buildings over 100
metres tall than the next four ‘tall’ cities
(New York, Tokyo, Dubai and Shanghai)
combined. When over 50 per cent of the
population lives above the 15th floor, the
reliability of energy to power lifts and
provide light must be rock solid.
Gathering beneficial data is the challenge
now. High usage consumers, such
as hospitals, major commercial users
and shopping malls currently have
access to their consumption data on a daily
basis, allowing them to plot and analyse
usage. For these users, there are two
main benefits. First, they can manage
their energy use to reduce costs, as
knowledge allows them to plan energy
use more efficiently.
Second, they can determine if their current
capital stock (infrastructure, machinery,
and software) could be economically
replaced by more efficient machinery or
systems. By replacing capital stock at the
right time, they can cut costs, reduce their
carbon footprint, and burnish their green
credentials in the community. Without
data, they are in the dark.
