The 2025 Net Zero Tech International Competition, jointly organized by the TECO Technology and Education Foundation and National Taiwan University, brought together participants from 16 countries globally. A team of faculty and students from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology (STUST) stood out from 138 teams in the Taiwan division with their innovative green energy technology, successfully qualifying for the finals and winning an Excellent Work Award in the Taiwan division. This award not only highlights STUST’s exceptional capabilities in green energy technology but also marks a brilliant achievement in the university’s green energy and sustainability education efforts.
【STUST participated in the 2025 Net Zero Tech International Competition, winning an Excellent Work Award. The participating team were taking a picture in front of their exhibition booth, showcasing their work of innovative green energy technology.】
Net Zero Technology Innovation: Generator and Digital Twin System Shone Brightly
The winning team was jointly guided by Prof. Yu-Ren Chen of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Chair Dong-Jing Dong of the Department of Hydraulic and Ocean Engineering at National Cheng Kung University. Tzu-Hsuan Yang, Wei-Han Chen, and Kai-Xun Chen presented their work, “Development of a Low-Speed High-Efficiency Halbach Advanced Permanent Magnet Generator and Digital Twin System.” The generator significantly boosts power generation efficiency using Halbach Array technology and integrates a digital twin system to provide loss prediction. Successfully applied to both wave energy and small-scale hydro-power generation, the generator demonstrated high environmental adaptability, earning firm recognition from the judges.
【Fa-Cheng Lin (first left), Deputy Minister of the National Science and Technology Council and convener of the judging panel for the 2025 Net Zero Tech International Competition, was visiting the booth to hear the presentation by STUST students Kai-Xun Chen, Tzu-Hsuan Yang, and Wei-Han Chen, showcasing the team's confidence and professionalism.】
Fruitful Interdisciplinary Practice and Offshore Wind Power Achievements
The outstanding performance of the faculty and students of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at STUST in the green energy sector extends beyond this, as they also excelled in multiple significant competitions. Notably, a team led by Prof. Yu-Ren Chen, owing to its excellent power generation efficiency, won second place in the University and College Group at the 9th Small Hydro-power Design Competition. This team has long been involved in the “Carbon Storage and Fishing” University Social Responsibility Project, dedicating efforts to applying green electricity locally. They successfully implemented and tested their small-scale hydro-power generator set at a collaborating fish farm, providing stable renewable energy for the aquaculture industry and concretely addressing the trend toward net-zero sustainability.
【Prof. Yu-Ren Chen (first right) of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at STUST and the winning small-scale hydro-power team were taking a photo. The team applied their work to a collaborating fish farm, embodying the USR spirit locally and securing second place in the competition.】
【The award-winning team were posing with their small-scale hydro-power generator set, a technology that won second place in the 9th Small Hydro-power Design Competition and has been applied to local fish farms to provide renewable energy for the aquaculture industry.】
In addition, a team guided by Prof. Jia-Jun Chu of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at STUST, won an Excellent Work Award in the University and College Group at the 2025 National Marine Energy—Floating Wind Turbine Platform Design Creative and Practical Competition with their work, “The Sea Tumbler.” The team designed a structure with adjustable ballast tanks, allowing the platform to dynamically maintain balance with the waves, thereby stably supporting the operation of the wind turbine. This achievement not only demonstrates the team's excellent grasp of offshore wind power technology but also lays a solid foundation for subsequent research and development.
【Prof. Jia-Jun Chu (first right) of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at STUST and the award-winning team from the National Floating Wind Turbine Platform Design Creative and Practical Competition. Their work, “The Sea Tumbler,” earned an Excellent Work Award, showcasing their excellent grasp of offshore wind power technology.】
【The team guided by Prof. Jia-Jun Chu of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at STUST won an Excellent Work Award in the University and College Group at the 2025 National Marine Energy—Floating Wind Turbine Platform Design Creative and Practical Competition with their work, “The Sea Tumbler.” The photo shows the team and their unique floating wind turbine platform model. The design uses adjustable ballast tanks to dynamically maintain balance with the waves, fully demonstrating the team's excellent grasp of offshore wind power technology.】
Leading a Positive Teaching Cycle with Local Issues
Prof. Yu-Ren Chen of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at STUST stated that since serving as the principal investigator for the “Carbon Storage and Fishing” University Social Responsibility Project, he and his faculty team had used local issues to drive technological research and development. They guided students to participate in competitions, accumulate experience in real-world practice, refine their skills, and trigger a positive cycle in the teaching environment. He emphasized that in the future, they will continue to deepen local practice and expand to national and international stages, cultivating sustainable development talents who possess both practical skills and an innovative vision.
Practical Application: Cultivating the New Generation of Green Energy Talent
President Nen-Fu Huang of STUST highly praised the faculty and students of the Department of Mechanical Engineering Department for their excellent achievements in multiple green energy competitions. He pointed out that these results not only showcase STUST’s exceptional research and development capabilities in the field of green energy technology but also embody the university’s philosophy of “practical application,” closely integrating academic research with local issues and industry needs. Seeing the students apply their knowledge to fish farms through the “Carbon Storage and Fishing” University Social Responsibility Project, or design innovative offshore wind turbines, is truly inspiring. STUST will continue to invest resources, encouraging faculty and students to transform creativity into practical action, and cultivating more green energy talent with professional competence and a sense of social responsibility for Taiwan’s net-zero emissions and sustainable development.