The 2023 Tianfu Carbon Neutrality Forum Is Successfully Held in Chengdu

On December 24, the 2023 Tianfu Carbon Neutrality Forum was successfully held at the Chengdu Tianfu International Convention Center. With the theme of ‘Technological and Industrial Conversions Are in Parallel to Support the High-quality Development of Green Industry’, the forum gathered 22 academicians, over 100 experts, scholars, and enterprise representatives to jointly explore the development path of deep integration of technological innovation and industry, promoting the high-quality and green development of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality industries, and helping realize the “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” goals. Huang Jing, Director of the Administrative Center for China’s Agenda 21; Xu Weilin, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Vice Chairman of the Sichuan Committee of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Co-Executive Director of Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory, and Standing Vice President of Sichuan University; Xian Rongsheng, a member of the Standing Committee of Chengdu Municipal Committee and the Party Group of the People’s Government of Chengdu Municipality; Chen Lizhang, Deputy Secretary of the Sichuan Tianfu New Area Party Working Committee and Director of the Sichuan Tianfu New Area Administrative Committee; Chen Xuehua, a member of the Party Group and Deputy Director of the Science & Technology Department of Sichuan Province; and Zhao Lechen, a member of the Party Group and Chief Engineer of the Department of Ecology and Environment of Sichuan Province, attended the forum. Zhang Yuanhang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Director of Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory, and a professor of Peking University, presided over the opening ceremony and keynote report.

Setting 1 main forum and 7 parallel sub-forums, this forum was hosted by Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory and co-organized by Sichuan University, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu University of Technology, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, and Sichuan Energy Internet Research Institute of Tsinghua University. The forum was conducted in the form of offline meetings and online live streaming, drawing more than 1,000 participants including experts and scholars from universities, heads of investment institutions, and enterprise representatives to the meeting offline. Additionally, the online live streaming garnered 2.76 million views. 

Realizing the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals requires the joint efforts of the whole society

Huang Jing, Director of the Administrative Center for China’s Agenda 21, expressed in his speech that achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality required the whole society to make extremely arduous efforts. Currently, there exists a gap between certain low-carbon technology research and development efforts and market integration, and policies to promote the coordinated development of carbon neutrality technology and industry need to be improved. This requires the scientific and technological community, industries, and governmental departments to join hands to jointly seek the most ideal solution to promote the deep integration and concerted progress of technology, market, and policy, and to advance the realization of the carbon neutrality goal.

Xu Weilin, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Vice Chairman of the Sichuan Committee of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and Co-Executive Director of Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory, pointed out in his speech that the 2023 Tianfu Carbon Neutrality Forum was another event focusing on carbon neutrality organized in Sichuan Province. It demonstrated a strong sense of political responsibility and historical mission to deeply study and implement Xi Jinping thought on eco-civilization, profoundly grasp the spirit of the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s visit to Sichuan for inspection, and work together to promote the implementation of the major strategic decisions of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in Sichuan. This forum centered on tackling key core technologies for green and low-carbon initiatives, which was of great significance for accelerating the construction of a green, low-carbon, and circular development economic system, a clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient energy system, and a scientific and technological innovation system under the new situation.

Chen Xuehua, a member of the Party Group and Deputy Director of the Science & Technology Department of Sichuan Province, stated in his speech that the 2023 Tianfu Carbon Neutrality Forum was timely and aligned with the current trends. He expected to discuss green transformation strategies for economic and social development with fellow academicians and experts through this forum, and jointly contributed accumulative wisdom and solutions for technological innovation to support the process of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.

Chen Lizhang, Deputy Secretary of the Sichuan Tianfu New Area Party Working Committee and Director of the Sichuan Tianfu New Area Administrative Committee, mentioned in his speech that Tianfu New Area would take the 2023 Tianfu Carbon Neutrality Forum as an important opportunity to increase guarantees including policy supply, pilot demonstrations, and scientific and technological services. Besides, it would accelerate to construct a resource-saving and environmentally friendly industrial structure, promote the formation of green and low-carbon production and lifestyle, making greater contributions to achieving the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.

Focusing on carbon neutrality supports the high-quality development of low-carbon industries

At the opening ceremony, Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory released the 2023 Tianfu Carbon Neutrality Technology Innovation Typical Cases for the first time. 25 cases were carefully chosen from the selected cases for on-site display, and 5 typical cases were selected. Among them, “Typical Practice Case of Ensuring Pollution and Carbon Synergy through Major Activities in Chengdu with the Goal of Pollution and Carbon Reduction Synergy Efficiency”, “Practicing the Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality Goals, Chengdu Sci-Tech Innovation Eco-Island Low-Carbon Smart Park”, “Ganzi Ultra-high Altitude Photovoltaic Demonstration Base”, “Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle’s Carbon Monitoring and Pollution and Carbon Reduction Synergy Governance Project by Integrating Multi-source Data”, and “Near-zero Carbon Emission Park in Eastern Industrial Park of Yibin Sanjiang New Area” were selected as the “2023 Tianfu Carbon Neutrality Technology Innovation Typical Cases”. Academician He Kebin, Director of the Academic Committee of Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory, and Professor Zhao Jinzhou, Co-Executive Director of Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory, awarded certificates to the unit representatives selected as typical cases.

Subsequently, Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory held a signing ceremony with universities, governments, and enterprises including Chongqing University, Southwest University of Science and Technology, National Science Library (Chengdu), Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Qingbaijiang District of Chengdu City. In the future, all parties would carry out in-depth cooperation in deepening the combination of industry, academia, and research, technological innovation, and talent cultivation, and jointly promote the high-quality development of green and low-carbon industries.

Highlighting energy transformation explores a brand-new path of energy in the future

During the keynote report, Jiang Yi, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, a committee member of the Academic Committee of Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory, and a professor of Tsinghua University, gave a report entitled “Low-carbon Path of Urban and Rural Energy Supply System”. He pointed out that the essence of the energy revolution lay in transforming the energy structure, and the approach should involve “encircle cities from the countryside”. To build the urban and rural energy system, the primary tasks were to realize the full electrification of terminal energy consumption; to construct a new type of electric power system combining concentration and distribution, with wind and photovoltaic power as the main focus; to develop a new type of zero-carbon thermal system based on heat pump technology, fully utilizing human activities to discharge the remaining heat; and to set up a new type of fuel supply system based on biomass commodity fuels and electric hydrogen production from abandoned wind and photovoltaic power.

Later, Xie Heping, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a committee member of the Academic Committee of Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory, made a report on the topic of “Global Energy Transformation Trends and Future Technology Exploration”. He shared his views on the new technology of carbon dioxide electrochemical capture, the disruptive technology of carbon dioxide mineralized power generation, the new technology of direct coal solid fuel cell power generation with zero-carbon emission, the new principle and technology of medium and low temperature geothermal power generation, and the new technology of direct hydrogen production from seawater. According to him, achieving carbon neutrality relied on technological advancement, prioritizing technologies, and developing technologies, especially those starting from scratch. Only by pioneering endeavors that others have not undertaken can truly achieve China’s self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology, open up the fields of energy understanding, and explore a brand-new path of energy in the future.

Exploring scientific and technological innovation facilitates the green transformation of the industry

Themed “Scientific and Technological Innovation Helps Green Development”, the roundtable dialogue was hosted by He Kebin, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Director of the Academic Committee of Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory, and a professor of Tsinghua University. Gao Xiang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a committee member of the Expert Committee of Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory; Liu Wenqing, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a committee member of the Academic Committee of Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory; Shi Bi, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Deputy Director of the Academic Committee of Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory; Li Yang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a committee member of the Academic Committee of Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory; and Chen Yongcan, a committee member of the Academic Committee of Tianfu Yongxing Laboratory and former Party Secretary of Southwest Petroleum University, engaged in in-depth idea collisions and exchanges around this theme.

Five academicians and experts shared their views on the challenges and opportunities brought by the “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” strategy for the development of the corresponding industries. They further discussed and exchanged their ideas on CCUS technology, pollution and carbon reduction, hydropower, wind power, photovoltaic power, and natural gas, biomass zero-carbon raw material fuel technology, and greenhouse gas monitoring technology.

This forum adhered to the concept of holding a green and low-carbon meeting, and purchased carbon emission reductions through the “Diandian” carbon neutrality service platform to offset the carbon emissions generated during the meeting, ultimately achieving a “zero-carbon meeting”.