Scientific and technological innovation is the key support for achieving the "dual carbon" goals, and "large - scale wind and solar power bases" are important platforms to showcase the advantages of CSP technology. Promoting the "energy revolution" is urgent!
—Cen Kefa
Recently, the China Media Group's program "My Family, My Country" featured an exclusive interview with Academician Cen Kefa of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Professor at the School of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University. It recounted his lifelong dedication to the energy field and his significant contributions to the in - depth development and efficient utilization of China's energy resources.
Academician Cen Kefa has ignited the spark of energy innovation with his wisdom.
In the 1970s, many domestic power plants switched to oil - fired power generation. With the global oil supply becoming increasingly tight, this model was unsustainable. Academician Cen Kefa boldly proposed replacing oil with water - coal slurry and achieved success, successfully mixing water - coal slurry in 1982. In 2009, the water - coal slurry technology won the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, and this technology saves about 2.5 million tons of oil for the country every year. Since then, Academician Cen Kefa has led his students to successively overcome a series of technical difficulties related to coal, filling several technological gaps in the country.
With the large - scale grid connection of renewable energy, especially wind and solar power generation, the operation and management of power systems face new challenges. The reduction of system rotational inertia can reduce the power system's natural recovery ability to frequency and voltage fluctuations, affecting the stability and reliability of the power grid. CSP with its dual functions of "power generation" and "energy storage," and its inherent advantages of "consumption" and "peak - shaving," provides rotational inertia similar to that of traditional synchronous generators and plays a positive role in improving grid stability.
Under the leadership of Academician Cen Kefa, the research team at Zhejiang University embarked on the exploration of CSP. They established a megawatt - level experimental platform for tower - type solar high - temperature heat collection and storage and advanced cycle power generation, providing an important basis for the development of CSP technology. They also obtained multiple international patents, creating favorable conditions for China to lead the world in this field.
Academician Cen Kefa's team continuously breaks through in CSP technology, providing high - level experimental teaching platforms for cultivating engineering and innovation talents. Professor Xiao Gang's team built an open - source, shared online virtual internship platform - "Virtual Simulation Teaching Platform for Solar Thermal Tower Power System" - and made it freely available to the public, hoping to further enhance students' abilities to analyze and solve complex problems.
Academician Cen Kefa and his team continuously innovate in CSP technology, especially achieving significant breakthroughs in high - temperature thermochemical energy storage materials and system construction. For example, the project "High - Temperature Thermochemical Energy Storage Materials and System Construction and Demonstration to Support Stable Power Generation of Large - Scale Fluctuating Renewable Energy," undertaken by Professor Xiao Gang's team at Zhejiang University, successfully established and put into operation the first set of industrial - application devices both domestically and internationally.
Focusing on improving the performance and efficiency of Solar Thermal Tower Power Plant, Academician Cen Kefa's team actively researches cutting - edge technologies such as high - temperature and high - efficiency gas turbine technology, supercritical carbon dioxide power generation technology, more efficient and stable new - type heat - storage technology, distributed energy technology, multi - energy complementary technology, and solar - thermal - to - hydrogen production, as well as their commercial applications, to boost the clean energy industry and innovative economic development.
[Photo: Academician Cen Kefa attending the "China Solar Thermal Power Generation Conference" hosted by CSTA]
Academician Cen Kefa once said that solar energy is a multi - disciplinary and multi - directional integrated energy system, including optics, control, materials science, power generation systems, etc. Integrating all these systems into a CSP system means higher complexity. However, as a new direction for the development of the clean power generation industry, we should all work together to take "step - by - step" approaches: First, deploy solar energy in areas with abundant solar resources to form big data, enabling solar energy to complement other energy sources and extend power generation time. Second, since solar energy involves multiple disciplines, it must have physical and operational models for each discipline. By integrating and optimizing these models, we can use solar energy throughout its entire life cycle. Third, the parameters of CSP can be improved. Therefore, we hope that we not only conduct localized research but also study the integrated energy system of multi - disciplinary solar power generation and the power generation system throughout its entire life cycle.
Academician Cen Kefa has exemplified the spirit of "burning oneself to illuminate others" through his actions. Starting with coal, he has cast his vision towards the future of new energy. On the path of CSP, he has led his team to blaze trails and actively innovate. Today, solar thermal power generation has encountered a historic development opportunity. On January 1, 2025, the "Energy Law of the People's Republic of China" was officially implemented, explicitly stating "active development of CSP." This marks the legal recognition of the status of solar thermal power generation in China's energy system. We look forward to solar thermal professionals joining hands, collaborating, and innovating together to create an even more brilliant future for the CSP industry!
