On Apr 12, the report release conference on New Energy Technology Research—Opportunities and Challenges was held in Beijing. The event was jointly organized by Institutes of Science and Development of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASISD) and Springer Nature.

Attendees of the event include experts from Energy Research Institute National Development and Reform Commission, Tsinghua University, Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion of CAS, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of CAS and Wuhan Library of CAS. Prof. Pan Jiaofeng, President of CASISD, Academician Wang Jiyang and Ms. Jiang Tianhai from Springer Nature delivered opening speeches respectively.

Prof. Pan Jiaofeng, stressed that the transition to a low/zero-carbon energy system and the reshaping of the modern energy system are necessary for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations, coping with the global climate change crisis, and promoting the ‘green recovery’ of the world economy in the post-pandemic era. Currently, major countries and regions in the world attach great importance to the development of the new energy technology with the investment continuously increasing. New energy technology innovations and disruptive energy technology breakthroughs have evolved as the key means to continuously change the world energy landscape and enable the carbon neutral actions of all countries across the globe.

Wang Jiyang mentioned that the report provides scientific basis for the research, development and deployment of new energy technology at home and abroad by proposing the hot technology areas in the new energy field, which are the focus for both the industry and the research community. In this sense, the report is instrumental and valuable. He also mentioned that CASISD and Springer Nature jointly built a high-level cooperation platform which represents the cooperation between Chinese top scientific research institution and world top academic publication organization, a living example for the follow-up cooperation.

Jiang Tianhai, head of Government Affairs and Policy in Greater China from Springer Nature, remarked that the Future Science and Technology series reports are the important cooperation mechanism. The joint series reports strive to provide high-quality reports on research frontiers, as well as the trend analysis, and aims to provide information for scientific researchers as well as science and technology policymakers across the globe.

Prof. Guo Jianfeng, the director of department of international cooperation and communication of CASISD, introduced the report background and the overall framework. Prof. Chen Wei, deputy director of Wuhan Library of CAS, introduced the quantitative analysis employed in the report. Prof. Tan Xianchun, deputy director of Institute for Sustainable Development Strategies, touched upon the views of the interviewed experts, as well as the conclusion and implication of the report.

Based on the Dimensions database of Digital Science, this study, combining bibliometric analysis, patent analysis and expert interviews, systematically analyses eight new energy fields, including solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, nuclear, hydrogen, energy storage, and energy internet, as well as 20 subtypes of new energy technologies over the period of 2000-2019 (with a focus on the period of 2015-2019), to reveal hot directions for global new energy research, the potential for industrial transformation, and future development trends. The study takes a global perspective, considering the development of China's new energy technologies and corresponding research patterns, and conducts a comparative analysis of China’s research competitiveness with other major countries and regions.

In the review session, Prof. Ma Longlong, Director of Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion of CAS, Prof. Jiang Kejun from National Development and Reform Commission, Prof. Gao Feng from Tsinghua University, and Prof. Cai Rui from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of CAS provide insights and reviews on the report from different perspectives.

The joint report, focusing on the new energy field, is the first of a series of Future Science and Technology reports jointly initiated by CASISD and Springer Nature. This report is a collaborative effort among Institutes of Science and Development of CAS, Wuhan Library of CAS, Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion of CAS, Springer Nature and Digital Science.

For full report in English (click to download)

For full report in Chinese  (click to download)