The 2023 National Energy Internet Conference, jointly hosted by Tsinghua University and China Energy Internet Alliance (hereinafter referred to as the Alliance), was held in Shanghai from October 26 to 27, 2023. The conference was organized by China Electric Power Research Institute, State Grid Shanghai Energy Internet Research Institute, State Grid Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Company, with the support of Zhongguancun Energy Internet Industry and Technology Alliance, Zhongguancun Intelligent Electric Power Industry and Technology Alliance, Dongfang Electronics Co., Ltd., as well as the collaboration of Energy Internet Research Institute of Tsinghua University, Sichuan Energy Internet Research Institute of Tsinghua University, and Beijing TsIntergy Technology Co., Ltd.
The conference, themed “Responding to the Challenges of Controlling Carbon Emissions Volume and Intensity, Building a New Type of Energy System”, aimed to implement China’s pledge of “30·60 Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality”, following the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China’s directive on “accelerating the planning and construction of a new type of energy system”, and actively respond to the new opportunities and challenges in developing energy internet to achieve the “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” goals, build a new type of power system, and construct a new type of energy system. The conference was attended by Wang Yan, Vice Chairperson of the University Council of Tsinghua University and Vice President of Tsinghua Alumni Association, Chen Weijiang, Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences and First Level Consultant of State Grid Corporation of China, Liang Jianyong, Former Director of Information Center of National Energy Administration, Hou Jin, Full-time Deputy Director of Shanghai Office for Promoting the Construction of Science and Technology Innovation Center and Deputy Director of Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park Management Committee, Yan Sheng, Deputy Director of China Electric Power Research Institute, Wang Fengjiao, Deputy Chief Engineer of Huadian Group, and other industry experts and leaders, as well as more than 700 leaders, experts and representatives from energy internet related enterprises, research institutes, financial institutions, industry associations and news media. More than 100,000 viewers watched the live broadcast through platforms provided by Tsinghua University and the Journal Center of China Electric Power Research Institute. The conference was chaired by Professor Gao Wensheng, Executive Deputy Director of Energy Internet Research Institute of Tsinghua University and Secretary-General of the Alliance.
Conference site
Wang Yan, Vice Chairperson of the University Council of Tsinghua University, gave a speech at the opening ceremony of the conference. He said that 2023 marked a new start for China’s journey towards building a modern socialist country in all aspects, and also a crucial time for the green and healthy development of the energy industry. Tsinghua University responded actively to the national call for Energy Revolution and Internet Plus Action Plan, and leveraged its multidisciplinary advantages to focus on policy research, innovation planning, technology research and development, achievement transformation, industrial ecosystem development and talent cultivation in the field of energy internet. He said that Tsinghua University would contribute its strength to the sustainable development of the national energy industry and the realization of carbon neutrality goals.
Wang Yan’s speech
Liang Jianyong, former director of the Information Center of the National Energy Administration, spoke about China’s energy industry in his speech. He said that the industry was in a critical period of energy transformation and low-carbon and green development. The National Energy Administration promoted scientific and technological innovation in the energy sector, with a focus on “efficiency”. It accelerated green and low-carbon energy transformation, built a clean energy industrial system, and supported the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. He also said that digital transformation was an inevitable choice for high-quality development of energy, and that energy internet would promote the intelligent, efficient and sustainable development of energy systems. He emphasized that China would actively promote international cooperation and exchange, and create a new pattern of globalized development of energy internet.
Liang Jianyong’s speech
Hou Jin, deputy director of Shanghai Office for Promoting the Construction of Science and Technology Innovation Center, spoke at the conference. He stated that carbon neutrality was a global consensus, and energy was the basis and driving force of economic and social development. Shanghai was speeding up the construction of five centers for international economy, finance, trade, shipping and scientific and technological innovation, while exploring a green, low-carbon and high-quality development path that suited mega-cities. Hou Jin pointed out that Shanghai was promoting energy science and technology to achieve self-reliance and self-improvement, and planning the construction of major scientific and technological infrastructure clusters. He also said that Zhangjiang Science City would implement the national strategy, create a brand of scientific and technological innovation, promote green, low-carbon, safe and efficient transformation of energy, improve the modernization of energy industry chain, and cultivate leading enterprises in green and low-carbon science and technology. He welcomed domestic and foreign institutions, research institutes and enterprises to participate in Shanghai’s low-carbon, zero-carbon and negative-carbon science and technology innovation, and contribute to achieving carbon neutrality goals.
Hou Jin’s speech
Yan Sheng, deputy director of China Electric Power Research Institute, emphasized in his speech that China Electric Power Research Institute, as a national strategic scientific and technological force in the field of energy, will provide strong support for the green and low-carbon transformation of energy, the advancement of electric power science and technology and the development of electric power industry. State Grid Corporation of China has cooperated with Shanghai Municipal Government to establish State Grid Shanghai Energy Internet Research Institute and State Grid Zhangjiang Laboratory, promoting the research and development of new energy-saving and low-carbon technologies and equipment. China Electric Power Research Institute will carry out joint research and collaborative innovation with colleagues from all sectors, jointly cultivate high-quality innovation achievements, help build a new type of energy system, and support the realization of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.
Yan Sheng’s speech
Chen Weijiang, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, gave a keynote speech titled “Flexible Low-Frequency AC Transmission” at the conference. Academician Chen introduced in detail the creation and development of flexible low-frequency AC transmission (FLFAC), and focused on analyzing its advantages in improving transmission capacity, increasing transmission distance and increasing controllability. Furthermore, by giving examples of demonstration projects, he analyzed the economic advantages of FLFAC in offshore wind power and other applications, as well as its special advantages in equipment such as circuit breakers and cables. Finally, he emphasized the core role of converter valves in FLFAC, and pointed out that FLFAC is suitable for various new energy applications, and is an important supplement to DC transmission and power frequency transmission.
Academician Chen Weijiang gave a keynote speech
Liu Jiangchuan, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and Professor Emeritus of School of Computing Science at Simon Fraser University gave an online keynote speech titled “Edge Intelligence and Communication from the Perspective of Energy Internet”. He systematically introduced the interaction between cloud-edge-end architecture and energy internet, and showed the application prospects of edge computing, edge intelligence and new-generation intelligent algorithms in electric power and energy internet. He proposed that the next-generation cloud platform architecture is developing with two focal points: sky computing and service products. Berkeley University believes that sky computing can be realized by abstracting clouds through cloud agents without any requirements for clouds. Service products can be realized by providing edge computing architecture with fine-grained microservice capabilities.
Academician Liu Jiangchuan gave a keynote speech
During the conference, Gao Feng, deputy director of Energy Internet Research Institute of Tsinghua University and deputy secretary-general of the Alliance, released the “The Development of National Energy Internet: Annual Report” on behalf of Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Electronic Technology, Energy Internet Research Institute, and Sichuan Energy Internet Research Institute of Tsinghua University, and the Alliance. The report systematically reviewed the latest developments of China’s energy internet, and aimed to promote academic research, technological innovation and product landing in the field of energy internet. The report also reflected the consensus of all sectors of society on energy internet, and provided basic and forward-looking insights for government agencies, enterprises and research institutions.
Deputy director Gao Feng released “The Development of National Energy Internet: Annual Report”
Dr. Dai Jing, the executive deputy director of the Energy Governance Research Center at the Energy Internet Research Institute of Tsinghua University, presented a pre-release report on “The Development of Electric Power Digital Infrastructure” on behalf of the project team working on this topic. The report discussed the development trends of China’s energy internet, and highlighted the deep integration of digital technology and energy industry as a key point for the future. The report suggested using digital technology to empower the construction of a new type of power system, and analyzed the typical application scenarios and technical requirements of power digitalization, which have important implications for promoting the development of energy internet.
Dr Dai Jing presented a pre-release report on “Electric Power Digital Infrastructure Development”
In addition, the conference announced the list of the third council units of the Alliance, and commended the project leading enterprises that won the “2023 Energy Internet Best Practice Case” and the experts who won the “Outstanding Contribution Award”.
Commendation session
In the session of the conference theme report, Sheng Wanxing, deputy chief engineer of China Electric Power Research Institute, Yan Xinrong, the general manager of Electric Power Research Institute of Huadian Group, Chen Zhongqiu, the chairman of CCCC Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Co., Ltd., Wu Yanyang, the researcher of Carbon Finance Research Institute of Industrial Bank, and Zhang Ning, the deputy director of New Type Power System Research Center of Institute for Carbon Neutrality of Tsinghua University, respectively delivered theme reports on “Exploring the Energy and Power Transition and Development Driven by the Carbon Peaking and Neutrality Goals”, “The Application and Development Trend of Digital Technology for Improving the Flexibility of Thermal Power in the New Type Power System”, “Discussions and thoughts on the High-Quality Development and Win-Win Cooperation of Energy Storage Business under the Opportunity of Energy Structure Adjustment”, “Green Finance Supporting the Energy Transition”, and “Power System Planning and Carbon Emission Flow Analysis from the Carbon Perspective”. The experts gathered together to discuss the grand strategy of the energy internet industry and technology innovation development under the context of the Carbon Peaking and Neutrality goals.
Theme report session
In the afternoon of October 26th, the conference arranged eight sub-forums, respectively focusing on energy digitalization, industrial innovation and engineering application, energy internet of things, smart hydrogen energy, power carbon neutrality, energy storage application, green transportation, and energy internet standardization. The attendees conducted extensive and in-depth discussions and exchanges on these topics.
Sub-forum sites
On the morning of October 27th, experts from China Economic Information Service, Institute of Quantitative and Technological Economics of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, State Grid Shanghai Energy Internet Research Institute, Shanghai Jiading Hydrogen Port, Huawei Electric Power Digitalization Legion, State Grid Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Company and Energy Internet Research Institute of Tsinghua University took part in the Xinhua Salon of Energy, and discussed how “zero-carbon park” can help with the green and low-carbon development of industries in the Yangtze River Delta.
Salon group photo
The successful convening of this National Energy Internet Conference provided a cross-disciplinary and cross-industry academic exchange and experience-sharing platform for enterprises, institutions, research institutes, industry organizations and financial institutions in related fields of energy internet. The conference focused on hot topics such as large-scale new energy grid integration and consumption, roadmap of the control of carbon emission volume and intensity, energy internet industrial ecosystem, etc., providing new impetus for building a beautiful China with ecological civilization, laying a solid foundation for achieving a more green, intelligent and sustainable future.
