Building on the successful experience of the construction and development of Germany’s Fraunhofer Institutes, the Research Center for Zero-carbon Energy Systems aims to chart a new course from the original technical innovation to the application and conversion of its achievements.

In the era where China’s carbon peaking and carbon neutrality industry will usher in a burst of growth, the center focuses on the quality improvement and upgrading of the economic industry, as well as a long-term stable supply system of energy and power systems based on the domestic great circulation. A forward-looking layout is achieved by the center through pivoting around “one topic” of technological innovation driving the energy revolution, highlighting “two key themes” of scientific research innovation and achievement conversion, and meeting “three standards” of future industries, emerging markets, and core technologies. The center conducts industrial research and development, application, and conversion within the “five research directions” of the energy center system based on solid oxide fuel cells, hydrogen storage on a liquid organic carrier at room temperature and pressure, high-efficiency green hydrogen production and storage technology utilizing renewable energy, zero-carbon conversion and utilization technology for carbon-based energy, and a new type of phase-change material cold plate liquid cooling systems. In this manner, the center is able to make every effort to promote breakthroughs in the core technology of “stranglehold problems”, and drive the cultivation and development of a trillion-level emerging industry.

For the foreseeable future, the world will become heavily reliant on fossil fuels, particularly low-carbon natural gas. Therefore, before non-fossil fuels become the dominant energy source, natural gas represents the most practical energy source for China’s transition from high-carbon to low-carbon energy utilization. Accelerating the development of natural gas is the most realistic option to achieve the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality strategic goals.

The Research Center for Green Development and Utilization of Natural Gas is engaged in research on the following fields: the seamless conversion in pits of green drilling fluid and cementing fluid, the integration of nano - supercritical carbon dioxide fracturing - gas repelling - storage and burial, underground in situ hydrogen production synergy for recovery ratio increase and carbon dioxide storage and burial, underground large-scale hydrogen storage bank, hydrogen-doped natural gas pipeline network transportation, and intelligent perception early warning and dynamic optimization control. It aims to build itself into a national strategic force and innovation source of low-carbon, green, and efficient development and utilization of natural gas. By 2030, the center plans to expand its demonstration applications, establish large-scale industries, incubate high-tech enterprises, and make breakthroughs in a new round of technologies.

Closely aligned with the major strategic deployment of national “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” and the construction of a new power system, and based on the unique abundance of clean energy resources in Sichuan Province, the Research Center for New Power Systems focuses on the main battlefield of energy and power carbon neutrality to carry out theoretical research, technological innovation, platform construction, and talent cultivation of the new power system. The center is initiated by the Sichuan Energy Internet Research Institute of Tsinghua University, jointly built by Sichuan University, Southwest Jiaotong University, and State Grid Sichuan Research Institute for New Power Systems. The center pays attention to the key technological shortcomings and key equipment of new power systems, as well as the stranglehold problems of industrial software, creates a whole chain collaborative innovation system of theory, technology, equipment, and application, and explores Sichuan solutions for low-carbon and green new power systems. The center team consists of academic leaders, industry experts, technical management talents, and stable scientific research backbone, with rich experience in undertaking major projects in the field of new power systems.

In pursuit of the “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” goals, a major expenditure of effort should be devoted to energy, and electricity should be utilized as the main force. Clean energy, anchored by hydropower, wind power, photovoltaic power, and storage, will become the dominant power supply for the future energy system. Targeting optimized capacity configuration, thorough safety perception and ecological protection, and intelligent regulation and efficient utilization of multi-energy complementation, the Research Center for Smart Energy of Hydro-Wind-Solar Energy Storage conducts research and development of mechanism technologies, material equipment, and software systems from the three aspects of planning and configuration, safety and ecology, and regulation and utilization. The center has devised a solution to Sichuan for smart energy of hydro-wind-solar energy storage through combining Sichuan’s water-based resource feature and employing application of digitization and intelligence in energy systems. Its overarching goal is to build itself into an innovation source, industrial cluster, and application demonstration site for the high-quality development of smart energy of hydro-wind-solar energy storage.