Dr. Chen has 10-year experience in building energy efficiency related to the passive design, renewable application and built environment modelling, and has been involved in multiple funding applications including ARC, NSFC, ITF, RIF and consultancy projects with the local government and industry. He published 37 papers in peer-reviewed international journals and coauthored a book in green building and renewable application areas. He has also been awarded the DECRA Fellow in the Australian Research Council and Fulbright Scholar in the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory with a total funding support over 6.5M HK$. In addition, he acted as the chief secretary in the 10th International Conference on Applied Energy (ICAE 2018) and the editorial board member in Energies and Buildings.
- Built environment modelling
- Green building and passive design
- Renewable application in buildings
- Building lifecycle assessment
- Interactions between urban microclimates and high-rise commercial buildings integrated with photovoltaic envelopes to optimize energy and indoor environmental performances, Faculty Development Scheme, Research Grants Council, Hong Kong. HKD 1,513,450, 2022-24.
- Integrated design optimization of novel photovoltaic envelope for buildings, Australian Research Council, Australia. AUD 424,398, 2020-23.
- Improved IAQ management through Scientific IAQ monitoring and App Survey with an indication of energy demand reduction, Faculty Development Scheme, Research Grants Council, Hong Kong. HKD 1,386,950, 2021-23.
- An investigation of daylight-linked lighting control system in urban area by simulation approach and development of weather database for daylighting assessment, Faculty Development Scheme, Research Grants Council, Hong Kong. HKD 1,314,119, 2021-23.
- Research and Integrated Demonstration on Suitable Technology of Net Zero Energy Building, Ministry of Science and Technology, China. RMB 519,100, 2020-21
- Exploring the potential of net-zero consumption high-rise buildings with hybrid renewable energy and storage applications, HKMU R&D Fund, HKD 199,600, 2021-22
Journal Papers (in the recent five years)
- Huang J, Wang Q, Chen X, Xu S, Yang H. Experimental investigation and annual overall performance comparison of different photovoltaic vacuum glazings. Sustainable Cities and Society. 2021;75:103282. (IF: 7.587, Rank: 4/66 in Construction & Building Technology)
- Yu Q, Chen X, Yang H. Research progress on utilization of phase change materials in photovoltaic/thermal systems: A critical review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 2021;149:111313. (IF: 14.982, Rank: 1/44 in Green & Sustainable Science & Technology)
- Ansah MK, Chen X, Yang H, Lu L, Lam PTI. Developing an automated BIM-based life cycle assessment approach for modularly designed high-rise buildings. Environmental Impact Assessment Review. 2021;90:106618. (IF: 4.549, Rank: 34/125 in Environmental Studies)
- Liu J, Chen X, Yang H, Shan K. Hybrid renewable energy applications in zero-energy buildings and communities integrating battery and hydrogen vehicle storage. Applied Energy. 2021;290:116733. (IF: 9.746, Rank: 9/114 in Energy & Fuels)
- Liu J, Cao S, Chen X, Yang H, Peng J. Energy planning of renewable applications in high-rise residential buildings integrating battery and hydrogen vehicle storage. Applied Energy. 2021;281:116038.
- Ansah MK, Chen X, Yang H, Lu L, Li H. Developing a tier-hybrid uncertainty analysis approach for lifecycle impact assessment of a typical high-rise residential building. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2021;167:105424.
- Huang J, Chen X*, Peng J, Yang H. Modelling analyses of the thermal property and heat transfer performance of a novel compositive PV vacuum glazing. Renewable Energy. 2021;163:1238-52.
- Liu J, Wang M, Peng J, Chen X*, Cao S, Yang H. Techno-economic design optimization of hybrid renewable energy applications for high-rise residential buildings. Energy Conversion and Management. 2020;213:112868.
- Chen X*, Huang J, Yang H. Multi-criterion optimization of integrated photovoltaic facade with inter-building effects in diverse neighborhood densities. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2020;248:119269.
- Ansah MK, Chen X*, Yang H*, Lu L, Lam PTI. An integrated life cycle assessment of different façade systems for a typical residential building in Ghana. Sustainable Cities and Society. 2020;53:101974.
- Liu J, Chen X*, Cao S, Yang H. Overview on hybrid solar photovoltaic-electrical energy storage technologies for power supply to buildings. Energy Conversion and Management. 2019;187:103-21.
- Yu Y, Long E, Chen X, Yang H. Testing and modelling an unglazed photovoltaic thermal collector for application in Sichuan Basin. Applied Energy. 2019;242:931-41.
- Liu J, Chen X*, Yang H, Li Y. Energy storage and management system design optimization for a photovoltaic integrated low-energy building. Energy. 2019:116424.
- Chen X*, Huang J, Yang H, Peng J. Approaching low-energy high-rise building by integrating passive architectural design with photovoltaic application. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2019;220:313-30.
- Chen X*, Yang H, Peng J. Energy optimization of high-rise commercial buildings integrated with photovoltaic facades in urban context. Energy. 2019;172:1-17.
- Ansah MK, Chen X*, Yang H, Lu L, Lam PTI. A review and outlook for integrated BIM application in green building assessment. Sustainable Cities and Society. 2019;48:101576.
- Huang J, Chen X*, Yang H, Zhang W. Numerical investigation of a novel vacuum photovoltaic curtain wall and integrated optimization of photovoltaic envelope systems. Applied Energy. 2018;229:1048-60.
- Chen X*, Yang H, Zhang W. Simulation-based approach to optimize passively designed buildings: A case study on a typical architectural form in hot and humid climates. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 2018;82:1712-25.
- Chen X*, Yang H. Integrated energy performance optimization of a passively designed high-rise residential building in different climatic zones of China. Applied Energy. 2018;215:145-58.
- Chen X*, Yang H, Wang Y. Parametric study of passive design strategies for high-rise residential buildings in hot and humid climates: miscellaneous impact factors. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 2017;69:442-60.
- Chen X*, Yang H, Wang T. Developing a robust assessment system for the passive design approach in the green building rating scheme of Hong Kong. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2017;153:176-94.
- Chen X*, Yang H, Sun K. Developing a meta-model for sensitivity analyses and prediction of building performance for passively designed high-rise residential buildings. Applied Energy. 2017;194:422-39.
- Chen X*, Yang H. A multi-stage optimization of passively designed high-rise residential buildings in multiple building operation scenarios. Applied Energy. 2017;206:541-57.
- Chen X*, Yang H, Sun K. A holistic passive design approach to optimize indoor environmental quality of a typical residential building in Hong Kong. Energy. 2016;113:267-81.
Honours and Awards
- Hong Kong Ph.D. Fellowship Award 2014/2015
- Fulbright-RGC Hong Kong Research Scholar Award 2016/2017
- Second Award of The HKPolyU Student Chapter of CIB Best Dissertation Competition 2017
- FCE Awards for Outstanding PhD Theses 2017/18
- Special Issue Guest Editor for Applied Energy
- Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) 2020