The College of Engineering hosted nearly 300 participants during the Second Global New Energy Summit from November 9-10.
Themed “Global New Energy Cities,” the event attracted representatives from organizations including: the United Nations, U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Administration, China National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), State Grid Corporation of China, and Sustainable Development Technology Foundation.

University professors from China, city representatives from both the U.S. and China, and chief officers from private sector organizations also joined the summit. The mission of the summit was to offer national and international stakeholders and experts an opportunity to share experiences and jointly promote effective utilization of new energy in urban cities.

On the first day of the meeting, Honorable Maurice Strong, former under-secretary general of the U.N., gave a speech on the significance and methods of reducing emissions and making better use of renewable energy in the global context of climate change and human development.

Xiufeng Dong, director of Department of New and Renewable Energy of theNational Energy Administration, expressed that the application of new energy in cities had great importance for China, a great energy consumer who is currently undergoing the process of urbanization.

Changyi Liu, director of the State Grid Corporation of China Strategy and General Affairs Division, spoke about the relations between robust smart grids and renewable energy, while Professor C.S. Kiang, founder and chairman of Sustainable Development Technology Foundations, conveyed his perspective of a low-carbon, eco-intelligent city based on the impact of the citizen’s living and traveling style on the environment.

Experts from leading universities and institutes discussed technology paths from different perspectives of wind power, biomass energy, shallow geothermal energy, electronic vehicle, and solar photovoltaic. Participating universities included Peking University, Tsinghua University, Beijing Jiaotong University, Southeast University, and NDRC Energy Research Institute.

The summit also featured a panel discussion session for city representatives to share experiences and lessons learned in building new energy cities, such as overall city planning, system integration, and business modes. Speakers included representatives from cities of Washington D.C., San Francisco, Datong and Tangshan.
The summit was supported by Sustainable Development Technology Foundation, Guo’ao Investment and Optony Corporation