2019 International Clean Energy Conference Successfully Held in Beijing

On October 27-28, the 2019 International Clean Energy Conference was held in Beijing. Under the guidance of the China Association for Science and Technology, the Conference was hosted by the consortium of Clean Energy Society of China Association for Science and Technology, China Society of Electrical Engineering, the US-China Green Energy Council, the China Urban Science Research Association, Chongqing University, Beijing Jiaotong University, United Power Technology Co., Ltd., China Datang Group Institute of Science and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Tsinghua Sichuan Energy Internet Research Institute The Research Institute, International Cooperation and Exchange Center of China Hi Tech Industrialization Research Association, Science and Technology Development Center of China Hi Tech Industrialization Research Association, DayDayUp International Innovation Accelerator and other units. With the theme of "clean, low-carbon and energy innovation", the conference aimed to lead clean energy reform and technological innovation and build an international exchange and cooperation platform. More than 500 government officials, Nobel laureates, Chinese and foreign academicians, experts and scholars, scientific researchers from the field of international clean energy, and leaders from power, smart city, renewable energy, smart transportation, information technology, energy Internet, energy investment and other industries attended the meeting. The meeting focused on cutting-edge technology, gathered global wisdom, integrated energy innovation thinking, and made suggestions for coping with global climate change, seizing new opportunities for green development, and promoting win-win international cooperation.

Group photo of some leaders and experts

At the opening ceremony of the meeting on the morning of the 27th, Song Jun, Secretary of the Secretariat of China Association for science and technology, Shu Yinbiao, President of China Society of electrical engineering, chairman designate of International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), chairman of China Huaneng Group Co., Ltd.; Shi Yubo, executive vice chairman of China Energy Research Association; and Wang Qi, executive chairman of UCGEC delivered speeches successively. The Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco sent a congratulatory letter for the meeting. The opening ceremony was also attended by Zheng Baosen, honorary president of China Electrical Engineering Society and other leaders, and was presided over by Lu Shujun, vice president of China Electrical Engineering Society.

Song Jun's speech

Song Jun pointed out in his speech that at present, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial changes are having a profound impact on the evolution of human civilization and the development of global governance systems. Promoting sustainable development with scientific and technological innovation has become the only way to solve important global problems. Exploring an efficient, clean and diversified mode of sustainable energy development has become the common demand of all countries in the world. As the world's largest energy producer and consumer, China, adheres to scientific and technological innovation, open cooperation and responsibility, continuously promotes the energy production and consumption revolution to develop in depth, speeds up the clean and low-carbon transformation of energy, and has made remarkable achievements in the development of energy industries. He advocated the joint efforts of all parties to make new contributions to reshaping the world energy development pattern and optimizing the global environmental governance system.

Speech by Shu Yinbiao

In his speech, Shu Yinbiao pointed out that with the increasingly serious global energy and environmental problems, energy reform has become the common demand of all human beings in the world. In recent years, the global energy industry has obviously shown a trend of "energy electrification, power cleaning, and significantly increasing the proportion of scenery". Promoting the transformation of energy structure and increasing the proportion of clean energy has become an important measure and direction for countries to ensure energy security and achieve sustainable development. As an important industry in the 21st century, clean energy will play an important role in the process of energy transformation in the future. He stressed that through further strengthening cooperation and promoting innovation in the whole industry, with the joint efforts of all, we will be able to solve the technical bottleneck problems in energy development and usher in a sustainable, stable, healthy and prosperous economic and social development situation dominated by clean energy.

Speech by Shi Yubo

Shu Yinbiao pointed out that energy is the blood and veins of modern industry and plays a significant role in national security and economic and social development. Since the 21st century, profound changes have taken place in the global energy pattern. Energy transformation and upgrading and structural adjustment have been accelerated. A clean and low-carbon energy development path has become an international consensus. In the past five years, under the guidance of the new strategy of energy revolution, China's energy transformation and development has made positive progress, the quality of energy supply has been greatly improved, the structure of energy consumption has been transformed, the innovation of energy science and technology has achieved remarkable results, the reform of energy system and mechanism has been steadily promoted, the international cooperation of energy sources has achieved fruitful results, and China's energy production and consumption revolution has entered a new stage.

Speech by Wang Qi

Wang Qi said in his speech that the development of clean energy is a systematic project, the core of which is to build a green energy ecosystem, which requires the organic combination of clean energy, smart grid, smart transportation, green information technology and green smart city. Today's world is in the era of energy revolution. Innovation is the fundamental driving force for global energy transformation, while international cooperation is an important accelerator for promoting scientific and technological innovation and industrial application. There are lots of opportunities for countries to learn from each other, which can achieve win-win results through promoting international cooperation. At the same time, coping with climate change is a grand system engineering, and the severe challenges it faces also contain the opportunities of green development, which requires multi-faceted technological innovation and system integration.

Lu Shujun hosted the opening ceremony
 
Congratulatory letter from the Consulate General of China in San Francisco

In the keynote report of the conference, Steven Chu, the Nobel Prize winner, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy and President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Qiu Baoxing, counsellor of the State Council, President of the China Urban Science Research Association and former Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Housing and Urban and Rural development; Daniel Kammen, distinguished professor of energy at the University of California, Berkeley, former special science Ambassador of the U.S. State Council and main author of the IPCC thesis of the Nobel Peace Prize; Liu Jizhen, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, former President of North China Electric Power University and Director of the State Key Laboratory of New Energy Power Systems; and Christophe Poinssot, Chief Representative of the French for Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in China made wonderful reports respectively. The keynote speech section was hosted by Huang Qili, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Steven Chu’s keynote speech

In the keynote report of the conference, Steven Chu, the Nobel Prize winner, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy and President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Qiu Baoxing, counsellor of the State Council, President of the China Urban Science Research Association and former Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Housing and Urban and Rural development; Daniel Kammen, distinguished professor of energy at the University of California, Berkeley, former special science Ambassador of the U.S. State Council and main author of the IPCC thesis of the Nobel Peace Prize; Liu Jizhen, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, former President of North China Electric Power University and Director of the State Key Laboratory of New Energy Power Systems; and Christophe Poinssot, Chief Representative of the French for Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in China made wonderful reports respectively. The keynote speech section was hosted by Huang Qili, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Qiu Baoxing’s keynote speech

Qiu Baoxing introduced the feasibility of promoting the Chinese version of desert solar energy (DII) plan in his speech. He said that the original intention of many European institutions to put forward desert solar energy plan ten years ago was to explore the rich solar energy in North Africa and the Middle East and provide clean power for the European continent. Nowadays, under the initiative of China's clean energy transformation and "one belt and one road" initiative, we need to start the large-scale development of solar energy in the Qinghai Tibet region. The transmission of clean electricity through the ultra-high-voltage grid will not only meet the demand for electricity in the central and eastern regions, but also accelerate the formation of an internationally competitive new energy industry in China.

James Caldwell made the keynote speech on behalf of Robert Weisenmiller

James Caldwell, director of smart Eco City Special Committee of UCGEC and President of E3 Regenesis (Renewable and Collaborative) Energy Solutions, Inc., made a keynote speech on behalf of Robert Weisenmiller, former Chairman of the California Energy Commission, and shared the experience of California in promoting energy policy implementation. In California, greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced from 20% to 15% as renewable energy utilization and energy efficiency have improved. He said California's experience is enough to prove that economic development and carbon emission reduction can be carried out simultaneously, but further innovation is needed to achieve a "net zero carbon" economy by 2045.

Daniel Kammen’s keynote speech

Daniel Kammen's speech stressed the need for in-depth and close cooperation between China and the United States in the process of the clean energy revolution. He believes that the global challenge of climate crisis is also an important and urgent opportunity. In the future, all countries will choose to build green energy economic infrastructure. In this regard, the partnership between China and the United States in the field of energy will become an important force to promote the development of the two countries and even the world.

Liu Jizhen’s keynote speech

Liu Jizhen's speech focused on the high penetration of renewable energy consumption technology, focusing on the parallel development of centralized and distributed resources and the utilization of distributed renewable energy in the central and eastern regions. His speech also included improving the flexible peak load regulation capacity of thermal power; increasing the proportion of gas turbine, pumped storage and other regulating power sources; building transmission lines and flexible smart grid; establishing demand response and virtual power plants; developing renewable energy active support technology; and establishing policies and market mechanisms to adapt to the high penetration of renewable energy consumption.

Christophe Poinssot’s keynote speech

Christophe Poinssot pointed out that mitigation of global climate change is one of the most challenging issues for human beings, which needs to be faced by the whole world and cannot be separated from the mobilization, support and cooperation of the international community. According to the Paris Agreement, France has formulated an ambitious strategy, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, which means that its energy structure needs to be significantly adjusted, new technologies need to be developed, and strong integration and sound decision-making in the energy field are also needed. In France's view, carbon free energy systems will make a key contribution to climate change mitigation.

Huang Qili hosted the keynote speech section

Other attendees of the meeting included Chen Shiqing, academician of the American Academy of Engineering and the Academy of Arts and Sciences; James Sweeney, Professor of Energy Science and Engineering and Director of The Energy Efficiency Center of Stanford University; Xie Mingcheng, Distinguished Professor of the University of California, Berkeley and Vice President of the UCGEC; Johan Wallin, Honorary Chairman of the World Low Carbon Cities Alliance; Erfan Ibrahim, former Senior Director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the United States; Christos Markides, Professor of Imperial College of Technology and Director of it’s Clean Energy Laboratory; Lars Johanning, Professor of Exeter University; David infield, Professor of Schneider University and Editor in chief of IET renewable Energy Power Generation; Lin Mingshan, Secretary General of China Electrical Engineering Society; Sun Rui, Vice President of the Electric Power Planning and Design Institute; Liao Ruijin, Vice President of Chongqing University; Kang Chongqing, Director of the Department of Electrical Engineering, Tsinghua University; He Jinghan, Secretary of the Party committee at the School of Electrical Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University; Zeng Ming, Director of the Energy Internet Research Center of North China Electric Power University; Yu Gang, Secretary-general of the China Urban Science Research Association; Zheng Wenyuan, Secretary of the Board of Directors and Director of the Board Office of China Datang Group; Wang Heming, Director of the Department of Science and Technology Innovation; Wang Zhenbiao, Dean of the Science and Technology Research institute; Chu Jingchun, Director of State Key Laboratory of Wind Power Equipment and Control; Shen Yanjie, President of Guodian United Power Technology Co., Ltd.; Wu Lebin, Director of Science and Technology Innovation Center of Administration, Production, Research and Application of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Kang Zhexiu, Deputy Secretary-General of China Hi Tech Industrialization Research Association; Zhang Boting, Deputy Secretary-General of China Hydropower Engineering Association; Qin Haiyan, Secretary General of the Professional Committee at the Wind Energy of China Renewable Energy Association; Zhang Jiping, Director of China Electrotechnical Society; Liu Yebing, Director of the New Energy Center of China Urban Science Research Association; Bo Zhiqian, Fellow of the China Society of Electrical Engineering and Director of IEEE Power and Energy Committee; Shan Feng, Executive Deputy Director of the Digital Urban Engineering Research Center of China Urban Science Research Association; Zhang Tao, Managing Director of Peikun investment fund; and UCGEC’s Wang Yun (CFO), Wang Yunhu (Vice President), Lin Yuxiang (Project Manager) , and Zhou Jinfan, etc.

The two-day conference also organized six symposiums on "Clean Energy and Low-carbon Cities", "Energy Internet and Clean Energy", "Comprehensive Energy, Source Technology and Development", "Sustainable Development of Rural Clean eEnergy", "Smart Energy and Transportation", "Renewable Energy and Energy Storage", and conducted extensive exchanges and in-depth discussions on cutting-edge technological innovation and hot issues in the field of international clean energy deliberation.

During the meeting, under the joint witness of Professor Chu and Qiu Baoxing, UCGEC and the China Urban Science Research Association signed memorandums of understanding on cooperation in the fields of "smart city" and "green energy utilization" respectively, and signed memorandums of understanding on cooperation in the field of "clean and renewable energy utilization" with the China Regional Committee of IEEE Power and Energy Association.

UCGEC and China Urban Science Research Association signed a memorandum of cooperation
 
UCGEC and China Regional Committee of IEEE Power and energy association signed a memorandum of cooperation

This conference collected insights from Nobel laureates and academicians in China and abroad, and shared ideas from experts in enterprises, research institutes and universities. It was a high-level international conference on clean energy frontier technology exchange and high-end industrial cooperation. Looking back on the past 10 years, the clean energy industry has made rapid development. Looking forward to the future, the green energy industry will become a new economic growth point and the core industry of the new prosperity cycle and will open up a new path of global green development. The UCGEC hopes that colleagues in the global industry can work together to gather global wisdom, seize opportunities and meet challenges, and contribute to the creation of a new green world.