Global experts give sustainable insights

China Daily | Updated: 2019-10-23 08:04

During the Taiyuan Energy Low Carbon Development Forum held in Shanxi's provincial capital of Taiyuan from October 22-24, government officials, experts and industrial insiders give their opinions on how to achieve sustainable development through using new, clean energies, improving energy efficiency and utilizing new technologies.

In today's world, achieving sustainable development has become a common objective for all countries to improve social welfare and protect the planet. This year's theme for the Taiyuan forum - Energy Revolution, International Cooperation - is as timely as ever.

I commend the government of China for its leadership on clean energy development and its efforts in promoting renewable energy infrastructure - at home and across the world. China continued to lead global clean energy development last year, adding over 20 gigawatts of wind power and more than 40 gigawatts of solar photovoltaic power. China's nascent emissions trading program has also shown the promise of a robust carbon market.

Liu Zhenmin, under-secretary-general for economic and social affairs of the United Nations

The Paris Agreement signed during the UN Climate Change Conference in 2015 is of epoch-making significance and still impressive. This is a turning point and a great historical progress for the whole world. In the process of global response to climate change, the Paris Agreement unites all countries in the world for substantive global cooperation.

This forum (in Taiyuan) is an important platform for people from all sides to speak freely and exchange experiences to fulfill relevant commitments under the Paris Agreement. I wish this forum a complete success, and I also believe that it will be a fruitful conference with full exchange of experience and information.

Jiri Paroubek, former prime minister of the Czech Republic

I'm delighted to say that China is one of our most important association country members (in the International Energy Agency). This means China is involved in all aspects of our work: from resilience to oil market shocks, to renewables and energy efficiency.

It is wonderful that Shanxi today is welcoming international partners here to deepen cooperation and collaboration. In our ever more interconnected world, energy transition is a global and intergenerational process. We need to think, learn and grow together with the sunrise industries of the future. One word captures the essence of what is needed: "innovation". And innovation is better when drawing upon the diversity of hard-won experience from around the world.

Alan Searl, project manager at IEA

Climate change poses one of the greatest challenges to mankind. The impacts of climate change are affecting our world with increasing severity. The situation calls for closer cooperation among countries in pursing both mitigation and adaptation simultaneously. That is why this forum is timely. Myanmar believes that it will provide us an opportunity to exchange views and ideas for the implementation of low carbon measures. We fully support cooperation on low carbon development.

U Ohn Win, minister of natural resources and environmental conservation of Myanmar

The best solution for sustainable energy production is research. There is still a lot of work to be done in the development of new technologies. Take the photovoltaic energy production sector as an example, the highest efficiency of solar panels is 20 percent, and we have nearly inexhaustible resources like the sun, which can shine for another 3-4 billion years, and the energy generated by it in one hour is equivalent to the total consumption of human beings in one year.

Energy users need to be conscious and responsible when talking about energy. Therefore, it is a basic initiative to invest resources to provide information and raise awareness to all energy users.

Beniamino Morselli, Governor of Mantova province, Italy

As the world undergoes profound change across global energy markets, with energy transformation growing stronger every year, Malawi should not miss the train. Therefore, increasing investments in sustainable energy production and supply will help secure an inclusive, prosperous and sustainable future for all Malawians.

While Malawi is making significant efforts to achieve its sustainable goals, it cannot do this alone. There is need for the government of Malawi, development partners, investors and the private sector to converge on a shared agenda to unlock investment in the energy sector.

Bintony Kutsaira, minister of natural resources, energy and mining of Malawi

Internet of things in electricity can help achieve an interconnected power system and promote the overall upgrading of power grids. It can pool various resources to regulate the power system, facilitate coordinated interaction among generation-grid-load-storage systems, and provide system operation for the integration of new energy. It can also promote the accurate matching of energy supply and demand and improve the efficiency of energy utilization. The strategic goal of building internet of things in electricity has received wide recognition at home and abroad since being proposed. At present, it is progressing steadily in all respects and has a promising future.

Kou Wei, chairman of State Grid

Shanxi province is rich in coal-to-hydrogen resources. By further improving the existing CO2 recycling technology and effectively combining with renewable energy, it will definitely become a demonstration area for China to promote a low carbon and hydrogen energy society.

In the field of hydrogen energy, Toyota, JXTG and other Japanese enterprises have begun to cooperate with China's coastal areas in fuel-cell vehicles and operation of hydrogen stations. We hope that Shanxi can more effectively learn from Japan's rich experience and expand cooperation with Japanese enterprises.

Tohmei Takekawa, president of Global Consortium for Energy and Environment

To enhance the quality of life, we must address air quality, currently a leading cause of premature deaths. We also must make energy affordable and accessible to all, including the billion or more of our fellow citizens that currently lack regular access. And this energy system must be reliable and resilient to threats, both natural and man-made.

I believe that technology and innovation will provide the tools to solve these multiple challenges. We are already making progress on many fronts. China is a leader in adopting renewable energy supplies. It is tackling air quality in its megacities by introducing cleaner energy solutions.

David Carroll, president and CEO of the Gas Technology Institute based in the United States

As the source of the Yangtze, Yellow, and Lancang rivers, Qinghai is making solid efforts to promote ecological protection. As one of the regions with the most abundant clean energy resources in the country, Qinghai's solar energy resources account for about 11 percent of the country's total, and its photothermal resources rank second, just next to Tibet.

Last year, the National Energy Administration approved the establishment of a clean energy demonstration region in Qinghai. We will focus on the large-scale development of new energy resources, make better use of clean energy, promote technological innovation and build intelligent grids to develop Qinghai into a demonstration province of clean energy.

Liu Ning, governor of Qinghai