“Each country possesses a considerable amount of wind and solar energy, and those able to be in the forefront early on wind and solar energy utilization completely depends on who can build a technological system for the large-scale use of new energy.”
“Now that we didn’t catch up with the Industrial Revolution, we cannot miss carbon neutrality.”
“Since fifty percent of key technologies to achieve carbon neutrality are still immature globally, all countries are on the same starting line.”
The 2022 Tianfu Carbon Neutrality Forum was held in Chengdu on March 27. Seventeen Chinese and foreign academicians attended the forum to discuss cutting-edge technologies at home and abroad, so as to explore approaches to achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, and to promote the development of China’s green and low-carbon industry.
The organizer of this event is Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory (hereinafter referred to as “the Laboratory”), which was officially unveiled on December 23, 2021. The reporter noted that the six sub-forums held that afternoon were also based on the six research fields laid out by the Laboratory.
“More than one year after its establishment, the Laboratory has officially entered the substantive operation stage. The current opportunities and challenges in the field of carbon neutrality are exactly what we are focusing on.” Reporters of Chuanguan News interviewed relevant person in charge of the Laboratory to interpret how the Laboratory makes breakthrough on “carbon”.
Expansion of research fields
“Clean and Low-carbon Energy, Resource Carbon Neutrality, Carbon Capture and Utilization, Carbon Sink and Geological Carbon Sequestration, Pollution Reduction and Carbon Reduction Synergy, and Carbon Neutrality Integrated Coupling”. At the main forum site of the 2022 Tianfu Carbon Neutrality Forum was placed a row of exhibition shelves, which sequentially introduced the six research departments of the Laboratory.
“These six research departments are the six research fields laid out by the Laboratory,” Lei Xianzhang, Chief Scientist of Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory, Academician of the German National Academy of Science and Engineering, and Director of Tianfu New Energy Institute, said.
As the first provincial-level laboratory focusing on carbon neutrality in China, the Laboratory was officially unveiled by the Xinglong Lake in Tianfu New Area, Sichuan Province on December 23, 2021, which is regarded as a solid step forward in the construction of independent innovation capacity in the field of carbon neutrality in Sichuan province, providing a upper-level innovation platform for the construction of a significant national innovation source of advanced green and low-carbon technology.
As one of the four key laboratories of Tianfu Laboratory approved by the Sichuan provincial government, the Laboratory takes “carbon neutrality +” as the core, initially focusing on three research directions.
Lei Xianzhang mentioned that the number of research directions has been enlarged from the initial three to the current six. And the expansion of the research scope is due to further understanding of technological innovation.
On June 18, 2022, the Laboratory held an expert consultation conference on strategic development planning, which was attended by 17 experts and scholars with significant influence in related fields of carbon neutrality, who put forward constructive opinions on several aspects, including the Laboratory’s goal positioning, research directions, mechanism and system, and talent team construction.
Subsequently, at the first session of the first Council of Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory held on June 20, 2022, the six research directions of the Laboratory were determined and laid out as six research departments.
The reporter perceived that the six research departments have set up expert committees separately, and a number of research centers have been set up under these research departments.
For instance, there are four research centers under the Research Department of Clean and Low-carbon Energy, namely, Research Center for Zero-carbon Energy Systems, Research Center for Smart Energy of Hydro-Wind-Solar Energy Storage, Research Center for New Power Systems, and Research Center for Green Development and Utilization of Natural Gas.
According to Shi Bi, Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) Academician, Deputy Director of the Academic Committee of Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory, and Chief Scientist of Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory, the Laboratory has started the construction of 9 research centers such as new power systems and zero-carbon energy systems, and has set up an Academic Committee consisting of 15 academicians and 5 experts as well as an Expert Committee consisting of 24 academicians and 29 experts.
Based on Sichuan’s advantages
As a Chief Scientist of Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory, Lei Xianzhang serves as the head of the Research Department of Clean and Low-carbon Energy at the same time. “Our goal is to explore and establish a ‘clean and low-carbon energy technology system with Sichuan characteristics and national influence’.” Lei also said that Sichuan has a resource endowment in the field of clean energy, whereas there is still a shortcoming of ‘excessive reliance on good natural climate conditions’.
Taking wind and photovoltaic power as an example, owing to the limitations of natural factors, the power output is volatile and intermittent, which affects the stability of the power grid. Another example, hydrogen energy, which is being vigorously developed in Sichuan, was also a topic mentioned by multiple experts at the forum. Lei said that although hydrogen energy can be a major approach to transform energy structure, there are choke points in hydrogen production, transportation, and use.
“There are numerous challenges in the transition from fossil energy to clean energy, and the Laboratory’s mission is to find solutions to the problems”. Lei said that the Laboratory has achieved quite a few results in the field of clean energy, such as innovative research in the process of hydrogen transportation, which is expected to enter the pilot stage at the end of this year.
With the Laboratory making technological breakthroughs, Sichuan’s resource advantages in the field of clean energy can be transformed into technological advantages, exporting cutting-edge technological achievements for the country’s strategic needs while contributing to regional economic development as well as the realization of carbon neutrality goal in the meantime.
Lei also emphasized that research on hydrogen energy are jointly carried out in cooperation with relevant enterprises.
Actually, to open up the whole innovation chain of “basic research - technological research - industrial transformation” is also one of the Laboratory’s vital tasks.
He Kebin, CAE Academician and Director of the Academic Committee of Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory, said in an interview that the Laboratory plays a role of a synergistic platform.
“For example, Southwest Jiaotong University contributes to carbon reduction in the field of transportation, Southwest Petroleum University makes contribution in the field of energy, and Sichuan University produces plenty of research results as well.” He Kebin said that the Laboratory concentrates and coalesces these dispersed forces into a greater force, while supporting the technology advancement and promoting the achievement transformation.
He Kebin stated that in less than one and a half years since the unveiling of the Laboratory, a lot of work has been promoted, and there will be a lot of technological achievements, management results, and even institutional innovation that are worth looking forward to.
“But technology is a top priority, since the ultimate focus of competition is about technology”, He Kebin noted, to make breakthroughs on “Carbon”, the Laboratory should drive development through technological innovation firstly”.
[ By Wang guoping from the Chuanguan News ]
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