Prof. Xi Lu

Tsinghua University, China

 

Biography: Xi Lu, Tenured Professor in School of Environment, Assistant dean of Institute for Carbon Neutrality, Tsinghua University. Dr. Lu received his PhD in John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University in 2010. After then, he continued in working at Harvard as a postdoctoral fellow, research associate and lecturer until joining Tsinghua in 2015. His research interests emphasize study of the technical, economic, and environmental dimensions of zero carbon energy sources in transitioning to a carbon neutral society. His primary research area concentrates on modeling complex systems of renewable energy, and integrated solutions of carbon neutral systems for cities and industrial parks. He published over 15 papers in Science, PNAS, Nature Energy, Joule, Nature Sustainability and Nature Communications on these topics. He won the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars in 2017 and the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars in 2020.

Speech Title: Challenges and System Solutions for Large-scale Deployment of Renewable Energy in the Context of Carbon Neutrality

Abstract: Renewable energy, such as wind and solar energy, is expected to experience exponential growth under global climate actions and play an increasingly crucial role in China’s synergy control of carbon emission mitigation and pollution reduction. Compared with fossil energy, renewable power generation exhibits significant time volatility, spatial heterogeneity, and high mineral intensity in manufacturing. How to efficiently utilize high-proportion renewable power and mitigate potential environmental risks along the industrial chain becomes a scientific and technological problem. An integrated solution is proposed here in terms of renewable energy assessment, multi-system optimization modeling, life cycle, and material flow analysis to address the challenges for large-scale deployment of renewable energy in the context of carbon neutrality in China and other countries.