GEORGE TOWN: SMK Hamid Khan of Penang emerged winner of the inaugural Petrosains national science theatre competition for the northern region yesterday.

The six students representing the school clinched victory by staging a theatrical play highlighting the imminent world energy crisis.

Their entry, for which they had devoted three months of hard work, was entitled "King Khan and the Energy Warriors" and comprised a witty combination of humour, romance and action.

Team mentor Siraj Bivi Asan Gany, 42, said one of the messages imparted by the play was that solar energy was the cleanest of all renewable energy options.

"We certainly do not want to build hydroelectric dams which involve the cutting of hills and clearing of lush greenery," she said.
The head of the winning team, Nicholas Choong, 15, said renewable energy must be used to address the looming energy crisis.

"The price of petroleum has reached an all-time high.

"So it is time we look for alternatives from which to derive energy," he said.

With yesterday's victory, SMK Hamid Khan has claimed the right to compete in the national final of the competition to be held in Kuala Lumpur on July 8.

The final's winning team will receive an educational package to Hong Kong, a multimedia set and a science development programme for their school.