Co-organized by the US-China Green Energy Council, the Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering, and the Energy Internet Research Institute of Tsinghua University, the 2020 International Green Energy Summit took place in an online conference from December 5 to 7. This year’s Summit is on the theme of "Global Energy Innovation and International Collaboration in the Post-Pandemic World". The Summit featured prominent speakers, academics and Nobel laureates from the fields of electricity, smart transportation and energy investment in China, the US and some European countries. They shared their insights on key topics such as energy Internet, clean energy, electric vehicles, energy storage technology, smart cities and low-carbon transformation of enterprises. The summit aimed at exploring effective solutions, integrating innovative ideas on global energy, and providing suggestions for addressing global climate change and seizing new opportunities for green development.
The Forum kicked off on the morning of December 5th, with speeches from Yinbiao Shu, President of CSEE and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Chairman of China Huaneng Group Co., Ltd., Eleni Kounalakis, Lieutenant Governor of California, Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, former Senior Advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General, and Professor of Columbia University, Paolo Frankl, Head of the Renewable Energy Division (RED) at the International Energy Agency (IEA), Chongqing Kang, Director of the Energy Internet Research Institute of Tsinghua University, and Qi Wang, Executive Chairman of the US-China Green Energy Council. The forum also featured keynote speeches from Steven Chu, winner of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics, Stanley Whittingham, winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Qili Huang, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Dinghuan Shi, former Counselor of The State Council, Robert Weisenmiller, former Chairman of the California Energy Commission, Kaina Pereira, Senior Adviser to the California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), and Qingquan Chen, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. In his speech, Yinbiao Shu highlighted that in the post-pandemic world, major countries around the world have set development goals for energy transition. To achieve these goals, he stressed the need to accelerate the establishment of a green, low-carbon, safe, clean and efficient energy supply system, to make full use of domestic resources, and to boost the development of renewable energy. He emphasized the importance of promoting the re-electrification process, developing clean energy on a large scale on the energy production side, and replacing more fossil fuels with electricity on the consumption side. He suggested that we should accelerate the realization of a highly electrified society by using the power system as a platform and focusing on electricity, based on traditional electrification. He also urged to boost digital construction, integrate modern information technology with energy and power technology deeply, and improve the digitalization of power systems with digital enablement, to address the challenges posed by high renewable energy penetration and high power electronic equipment penetration. He called for enhancing the level of standardization, supporting the internationalization of energy and power standards, and stimulating green energy technology innovation, industrial upgrading and achievement sharing. He proposed that China and the US should further explore cooperation potential and extend collaboration channels in the energy sector, jointly conduct major research projects, accelerate breakthroughs in core technologies of energy and power of key importance, consolidate practical partnerships in energy infrastructure, equipment manufacturing, energy conservation and environmental protection, and work together to promote industrial development and economic recovery.
Yinbiao Shu delivering a speech
On behalf of the State of California, Eleni Kounalakis expressed her congratulations on the convening of the Forum. She stated that the summit, which gathers top scientists, industry leaders and government officials, will help achieve the common goal of global sustainable development. She acknowledged that there are current challenges in Sino-US cooperation, but she assured that the California government is willing to adopt a positive and constructive attitude to foster collaboration in the energy technology sector. She shared that for the past two decades, California has been dedicated to reducing carbon emissions while maintaining economic growth, and will aim to reach near zero emissions and carbon neutrality by 2045. To accomplish this goal, she stressed the importance of international cooperation. Therefore, she stated that California will remain open to attracting global capital and technology to engage in the green energy transition.
Eleni Kounalakis delivering a speech
Jeffrey Sachs argued that global cooperation in low carbon emission reduction is at a critical juncture that cannot afford any delay. He asserted that promoting green and digital development will be the main direction in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and advancing global development. He noted that Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping has pledged to “achieve carbon neutrality by 2060”. The US will also rejoin the “Paris Agreement”. Moreover, many other major countries have also made significant commitments to achieve carbon neutrality by the middle of this century. He emphasized that the cooperation between China and the US is not only mutually beneficial, but also a fundamental requirement for global development, especially in green development and the development of the digital economy. He believed that US-China collaboration is vital.
Jeffrey Sachs delivering a speech
In his speech, Paolo Frankl stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has posed the greatest challenge to the global energy system since World War II. Despite the grim situation, the transition to renewable energy has maintained a promising development momentum, and governments and enterprises around the world have actively set emission reduction goals. He stressed the need to further strengthen global collaboration to achieve sustainable energy development. He cited the IEA's latest research, which shows that currently commercialized clean energy technologies can only achieve about 50% of the emission reductions defined by the “near-zero emissions by 2050” goal. He noted that as the world's largest energy consumers and leaders in clean energy technology, the decisions of China and the US will have a profound impact on the global transition to clean energy. He affirmed that as a key organization in the global energy system, IEA will continue to play a role in advocating and encouraging global cooperation to advance the energy transition and sustainable development goals.
Paolo Frankl delivering a speech
In his speech, Chongqing Kang highlighted that sustainable energy development is an important issue that challenges humanity. He argued that in terms of power generation, it is essential to promote the clean development of traditional power while developing renewable energy. He pointed out that in the transmission and distribution sector, new mechanisms, operational control strategies and energy consumption models need to be provided to promote low-carbon emission reduction in the power grid sector. He also suggested that in terms of energy consumption, consumers' low-carbon energy consumption behavior and timely response to energy demand should be encouraged.
Chongqing Kang delivering a speech
In his speech, Qi Wang maintained that technological innovation is the key driving force for achieving economic recovery in the post-pandemic world and coping with long-term climate change. He urged to accelerate technological innovation and commercialization to achieve near-zero emissions by the middle of this century. He stated that UCGEC is dedicated to promoting innovation and development of renewable energy, energy Internet and other related technologies, as well as cooperation between the US and China in addressing climate change and building a green energy ecosystem. He emphasized that energy innovation and US-China collaboration will play a crucial role in the post-pandemic world, and that the cooperation between the two will benefit environmental protection and greatly boost employment and economic development.
Qi Wang delivering a speech
The forum featured excellent keynote speeches from four world-renowned experts. In his speech on "Climate Change and Innovative Paths to a Sustainable Future", Steven Chu stressed that the United Nations requires to prevent the global average temperature from rising more than 1.5°C above the benchmark, which means limiting cumulative carbon dioxide emissions to no more than 2,900 GT. He pointed out that three-quarters of global greenhouse gases have been emitted in the past 65 years, and the annual greenhouse gas emissions of the global farming industry are second to those of the US and China, which shows how demanding our carbon reduction task is. He also introduced energy storage methods and new technologies that effectively promote low carbon emissions, such as renewable energy, pumped storage, thermal energy storage, high-voltage AC/DC power grids, electric vehicles, lithium-sulfur batteries, etc. He argued that humanity needs to overcome the misconception of measuring wealth based on population growth and material abundance, and try to explore a new standard for survival. He suggested that a high-quality life should include "longevity + healthiness", safety, continuing education and living comfort, etc.
Steven Chu delivering a keynote speech
The keynote speech by Stanley Whittingham is titled “Energy Storage: Key for a Greener Economy”, which states that energy storage plays a crucial role in the green economy. Stanley Whittingham claimed that in a world where lithium batteries are ubiquitous, it is lithium batteries that have paved the way for a wireless, fossil-fuel-free society. He envisioned that in the future, the manufacturing and use of battery storage must be sustainable, with electricity coming from clean and renewable energy sources. He also emphasized that batteries must be recycled and reused. He hoped that through our joint efforts, we could create a cleaner environment, make the earth more sustainable, and effectively control global warming for the benefit of future generations.
Stanley Whittingham delivering a keynote speech
In his keynote speech on "Green and Low-carbon Energy Transition and Global Cooperation" " academician Qili Huang introduced the goals and paths of China's green and low-carbon energy transition, analyzed the challenges in the process, and discussed the ideas of energy innovation and global collaboration in the "post-pandemic world". He emphasized that addressing climate change and protecting humanity are global shared responsibilities and obligations, and that it is necessary to strengthen global cooperation and technological innovation, and jointly build a community with a shared future for humanity.
Qili Huang delivering a keynote speech
Dinghuan Shi asserted that China has always attached great importance to improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions through energy conservation. He claimed that by restructuring the industry, China has lowered the share of coal consumption to less than 60%, and has vigorously developed renewable energy, with the largest production and installation capacity in the world. He also argued that China has always been an active promoter and implementer of global technological and industrial cooperation, and that resuming comprehensive technological collaboration between China and the US would benefit both sides and support global green and sustainable development.
Dinghuan Shi delivering a keynote speech
The conference also featured a dialogue on "Energy Innovation and Climate Change", where Nobel laureate Steven Chu and Stanley Whittingham engaged in an online discussion with participants on the key issues of energy innovation and climate change.
On the mornings of December 6th and 7th, special sub-forums on "Global Low-Carbon Energy Transition" and "Clean Smart Transportation and Energy Storage Technology" were held respectively, with 14 distinguished guests participating in online technical discussions. Vice President Feng Gao delivered a lecture on "Energy Internet for Sustainable Environment, Energy and Economic Growth" at the special sub-forum "Global Low-Carbon Energy Transition".
