Session Description: This presentation explores solar PV's role in China's carbon neutrality goal. China leads globally in solar PV production, spanning the entire industry chain from raw materials to modules. The industry has evolved through stages, now focusing on high-quality development with technological advancements and cost reductions. Key technological trends include larger, thinner modules and emerging cell technologies, enhancing efficiency. Rapid growth brings issues like accurate potential assessment (considering spatiotemporal distribution), grid compatibility (addressing intermittency via storage and optimization), and environmental impacts (showing net greenhouse gas mitigation and synergy with air pollution control). Future prospects involve "Solar PV+" models integrating with agriculture, buildings, and transportation, alongside renewable hydrogen production. Solar PV is pivotal for energy transition, aligning with global commitments to expand renewable capacity for sustainability.
Speaker Bio: Professor Xi Lu is a Tenured Professor at the School of Environment and the Institute for Carbon Neutrality at Tsinghua University. He received his PhD from the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University in 2010. His research focuses on the technical, economic, and environmental aspects of renewable energy sources in the transition to a carbon-neutral society. He has innovatively developed evaluation and optimization models for the expansion of renewable energy and integrated solutions of carbon-neutral energy systems at national, provincial and city levels. His work provides essential analytical tools and database support for the effective development and utilization of renewable energy, contributing to the advancement of the UN’s SDG7: Affordable and Clean Energy. He has published over 100 papers, including 20 in top journals such as Science, PNAS, Nature Energy, Nature Climate Change, Nature Sustainability, Nature Communications and Joule. Among his many accolades, he has received the Youth Scientist Award (Gold Award) from the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences, the 15th China Youth Science and Technology Award, the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars in 2017, and the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars in 2020.