Global Energy Interconnection and College Innovative Development Forum
Published 04 January, 2019
On 26 September 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the initiative at the UN Sustainable Development Summit to establish Global Energy Interconnection (GEI) in order to facilitate efforts to meet global power demand with clean and green alternatives. At the third anniversary of proposal of the GEI initiative, the Global Energy Interconnection and College Innovative Development Forum was held in Shandong University. The event was co-hosted by the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO) and Shandong University. This is a significant action to implement China's initiative, and it is of great significance for rallying all parties, exerting the role of university innovation, and promoting better and faster development of GEI.
Liu Zhenya, Chairman of GEIDCO, Chairman of China Electricity Council, Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, International Fellow of the UKRoyal Academy of Engineering, and Chairman of Global Energy Interconnection Editorial Board delivered a keynote speech at theforum. Guo Xinli, Chairman of the University Council of Shandong University (SDU), Liu Qiang, vice-governor of Shandong province, and Lu Haitian, Division Chief of the Capacity Development Office of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), attended and addressed the forum. More than 400 distinguished guests from the Chinese government,over 40 universities and nearly 80 companies and institutions of 14 countries attended the forum.
As discussed during the forum, after three years of unremitting efforts, GEI has achieved major breakthroughs from a concept to planning and projects, and exerted worldwide influence. At present, GEI has entered a new stage of implementation and joint action. GEI will shape a new landscape of energy and electricity. Constructing GEI will accelerate overall development of centralized and distributed clean energy resources, such as hydro, wind and solar power. It will be able to utilize the differences in time zones, seasons, resources and electricity prices to achieve a wide range of clean energy allocation, multi-source complementarity and efficient utilization. GEI will also open up a new path of sustainable development to ensure a sustainable supply of safe, cost-effective and clean energy, and benefit the entire world with access to modern power supply. The global electricity penetration rate will be increased to 95% by 2035. In 2050, the proportion of global clean energy in primary energy sources will reach more than 70%. GEI will create a new engine driven by innovation to promote technological innovation of clean energy development, allocation and use, and achieve all-round breakthroughs in many fields. In 2025, the competitiveness of land-based wind power and photo voltaic power generation will exceed that of fossil energy generation. In addition, GEI will build a new platform for open cooperation to promote cooperation among industries of power, equipment, information and finance, and drive the upgrading of new energy, new materials, artificial intelligence and big data industries.A shared energy community featuring green, low-carbon, interconnected and sharing will be built, and a new pattern of energy security featuring cooperation, mutual benefit and win-win will be shaped.
A launch ceremony was held for the Global Energy Interconnection University Alliance at the forum. The alliance is initiated by the GEIDCO. It has 32 founding members, including the Shandong University, North China Electric Power University, Tsinghua University, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University, Chongqing University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, University of Macau, University of Birmingham, University of Liverpool, Technische Universität Berlin(TUB), Politecnico di Torino, Moscow Power Engineering Institute, and MINES Paris Tech (École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris). Shandong University and North China Electric Power University are the chairman member and the vice chairman member respectively for the first session of the Alliance. The Secretariat of the Alliance is housed within the GEIDCO. The alliance will build four platforms, namely, concept dissemination, research and innovation, academic exchange and talent training, to give full play to the advantages of basic research in universities, achieve breakthroughs in scientific research, results sharing, and discipline construction, and to attract more college teachers and students to participate in the research and construction of GEI to jointly support the GEI development.
At this forum, Shandong University Global Energy Interconnection Strategy and Technology Research Institute was unveiled. On the previous day of the forum, the institute held a council meeting. This is the first GEI research institute established by universities. It will build a high-end think tank specializing in GEI strategies and technologies and establish an international platform for technological innovation, talent training and academic exchange. Relying on the Global Energy Interconnection Strategy and Technology Research Institute, Shandong University has set up the specialty training class of "Global Energy Interconnection" in China to foster the urgently needed compound talents for the GEI development.
The forum also invited papers on the theme of "UHV DC Transmission Technology". Certificates were awarded to authors of 18 excellent papers.
Since its establishment more than two years ago, GEIDCO has exerted tons of efforts in GEI concept dissemination, strategic planning, international cooperation and project promotion. GEIDCO has released 15 innovative findings, such as GEI backbone grids, development index, technology and equipment, and standard system. GEIDCO has conducted GEI planning research for major continents and key regions and promoted the incorporation of GEI into the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the UN and the Belt and Road development. At present, GEIDCO has 503 members across 5 continents, covering 80 countries (regions).
During the forum, Shandong University held a ceremony of book donation and 2018 UHV grid scholarship awarding. Liu Zhenya donated books, including Global Energy Interconnection and UHV AC and DC Grid, to Shandong University. The UHV grid scholarship is jointly sponsored by a number of power companies and industry organizations. It is awarded annually to outstanding students majoring in power-related fields to encourage more students to devote themselves to the UHV and power fields.