White snowflakes fell softly over Beijing on January 5. As an old saying goes, when the Laba Festival (eighth day of the twelfth month in lunar calendar) arrives, the Spring Festival is just around the corner. The Year of the Rooster is on its way. People always say that an early snow is the promise of a good harvest. With the pace of the snow in a new year, the grand ceremony of the 2016 Distinguished Contribution Award for Science and Technology in Solar Thermal Utilization in China was held in the Academic Report Hall of the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Wang Zhifeng, researcher with the Institute, a man who has both courage and intelligence, won the award for his distinguished contribution in the utilization of solar thermal science and technology.
Representatives from members of China National Solar Thermal Energy Alliance, including Inner Mongolia Electric Power Survey & Design Institute Co., Ltd., Inner Mongolia Lüneng New Energy Co., Ltd., TUS-Clean Energy, Himin Group, Tsinghua University and Peking University, as well as media representatives such as China Reform Daily, China Report and People.com.cn, all attended and witnessed the ceremony.
The award ceremony was hosted by Liu Xiaobing, Secretary General of China National Solar Thermal Energy Alliance. Du Fengli, Deputy Secretary General of the Alliance, introduced the background and this year’s selection process of the Distinguished Contribution Award for Science and Technology in Solar Thermal Utilization. Liu Xiaobing then delivered a passionate award-presenting speech.
Yi Yuechun, Chairman of the Alliance, delivered a passionate congratulatory message and presented the main achievements of award winner, Research Professor Wang Zhifeng in the utilization of solar thermal science and technology. He said, “On the occasion of the New Year, I would like to extend our sincere greetings to you on behalf of the Alliance! Meanwhile, I would like to congratulate Professor Wang on winning the award and express our heartfelt thanks to him for his outstanding contributions to the Alliance.” In his speech, Chairman Yi pointed out that Professor Wang, as one of founders of the Alliance, has promoted the Alliance to become a bridge and bond to enterprises, colleges, universities and research institutes in the industry of solar energy utilization and become the promoter of industry development as well as a good helper for the government. He has made huge contributions in the perspectives of technology, industry, government and the establishment of final power price. It is commonly acknowledged by everyone that he has made suggestions and advice, and always practices what he preaches.
At the ceremony, Xu Jianzhong, a CAS Academician, presented the trophy, award and reward to Professor Wang. Academician Xu said sentimentally that the establishment of the award is of great significance for the Alliance. He mentioned, “The solar thermal utilization in China would not have achieved such progress without the efforts and perseverance of Wang Zhifeng.” “Solar thermal utilization is a cause which deserves to be developed as it’s of great importance for the promotion of energy transformation and energy technology revolution. I hope all colleagues present here and those who work on solar thermal utilization would actively make their own efforts just like Wang Zhifeng, and engage in the in-depth research of technology revolution and innovation of solar thermal utilization.” “For the industry, the Distinguished Contribution Award for Science and Technology in Solar Thermal Utilization is just a start. We wish both Wang Zhifeng and solar thermal utilization an even better development in the future.”
Academician Xu Jianzhong presenting the award to Dr. Wang Zhifeng
In his acceptance speech, Professor Wang expressed acknowledgements to his relatives, tutors and counterparts at home and abroad for their support in his work in solar thermal utilization. He extended his gratitude to his colleagues and students for their efforts in his work and to the senior executives for their guidance. He said he would not have achieved today’s achievements without their help and support. Besides, he also expressed his sincere thanks to all people attending the ceremony and all those who had always believed and supported him.
In his speech, Zheng Fangneng, Director of Energy Division at the Department of High-tech Development and Industrialization of the Ministry of Science and Technology, congratulated Professor Wang and pointed out that the presentation speech appropriately expressed the winner’s achievement. Wang Zhifeng has worked on solar thermal utilization in a persistent way and made huge contributions in this field. He said that from the introduction of the benchmark price for solar thermal power generation in 2016 and determination of pilot projects, to the successful grid-combined power generation of the first and largest 10-MW Molten-salt Solar Tower Plant with the core technical equipment of solar island provided by SunCan Co., Ltd, a vice chairman member institution of the Alliance, China’s solar thermal power generation has reached a certain industrial scale and ushered in a new stage of development. Previously, Wang Zhifeng took charge of the construction of the Badaling Solar Thermal Pilot Plant in Yanqing, Beijing, a project of great significance. All of his work has greatly promoted the development of solar thermal power generation in China.
In his speech, Li Xinnan, Secretary General of the Project Coordination Department for the Alliance, first congratulated Professor Wang on the award and said that Wang deserved this award. He pointed out that it is of great significance for the Alliance to successfully hold such award ceremony for the second time. He also mentioned that the China National Solar Thermal Energy Alliance is the first alliance to put forward such an award. It is an innovation aimed at stimulating the industry and also a measure to support the development of the industry. Led by Professor Wang, the Alliance has made tremendous contributions to collaborative innovation and development, organization mode, achievement transformation, road show, platform establishment with self-raised funds, democratic leadership of the Alliance, etc.
In his speech, Mr. Zhu Junsheng, Chairman of the Renewable Energy Committee of the China Association of Circular Economy (CACE), congratulated Professor Wang. He said that Professor Wang’s contributions were mainly in four aspects: first, a research technology platform has been established for solar thermal utilization; second, several scientific research achievements have been made; third, an alliance has been established, laying a foundation for the industry; fourth, a sci-tech team has been groomed to promote the development of solar thermal power generation. With suggestions and advice of Professor Wang, the solar thermal power generation has finally been included into the 13th Five-Year Plan, and, in addition to the promotion of the implementation of the Zhangjiakou Renewable Energy Demonstration Base, some blank spaces of solar thermal power generation and renewable energy have been filled. Since the commercialization of solar thermal power generation has just started, there is still a long way to go. China’s solar thermal power generation technology is still far from industrialization. Zhu hopes the industry players can follow Professor Wang’s example, continue to work hard and move forward in technical innovation, industry chain improvement and industrialization.
Li Baoshan, Vice Chairman of Chinese Renewable Energy Society, said: “I have worked together with Wang Zhifeng for two decades. He is a true scholar when it comes to the difficulties that face his academic and scientific research, and there were indeed many during the construction of Badaling Solar Thermal Pilot Plant in Yanqing, in terms of funds, technology, engineering and others. He spared no efforts in working through the difficulties, without giving a single thought to his own gain or loss. He’s won this award today because his contributions have been recognized by everyone in the industry. It is a small conclusion to his academic career. I am proud of Professor Wang. On a different note, the cause of solar thermal power generation is still faced with competitions and risks. Technical innovation and exploration are still required. We hope that the leaders and counterparts can work hard together.”
In his speech, Han Li, head of the CAS Institute of Electrical Engineering , thanked on behalf of the winning institution the awarding unit for offering this award of special significance to the excellent researcher of the institute, Dr. Wang Zhifeng, and said that the award is not only a recognition of Professor Wang, but also of the institute. He said, firstly, Wang Zhifeng has made great efforts in scientific research and industrialization of solar thermal utilization, established thermal power generation model from the perspective of scientific research, set up the Badaling Solar Thermal Pilot Plant in Yanqing and achieved a substantive breakthrough from zero to one; secondly, Professor Wang boasts a personality of magnetic charm and powerful industry cohesion. His team of insiders which he gathered together has been engaged in solar thermal power generation constantly and helped the industry receive more and more attention. In terms of international exchange and cooperation, he has not only introduced the advanced technologies from foreign countries, but also presented Chinese technologies to the world. He said that the CAS Institute of Electrical Engineering will continue to fully support Professor Wang in aspects of material, human resources and funds, and support the development of solar thermal power generation.
After the award ceremony, Professor Wang was invited to make a speech titled “Exploration and Practice of Solar Thermal Science and Technology (1996-2016)” during which he shared with the audience the most cutting-edge scientific research and innovation achievements of his team and himself in the field of solar thermal utilization science and technology, and summarized the research and achievement transformation in China’s solar thermal power generation over the last 20 years. His words reflected the true “essence” of the industry and earned praise from experts and scholars present at the ceremony.
The Distinguished Contribution Award for Science and Technology in Solar Thermal Utilization has showed the fact that products and technologies of the industry have achieved a great breakthrough, provided references for the industry development and significantly increased the influence of the industry in the society. Professor Wang winning the award represents not only his recognition by the industry but also the recognition of solar thermal utilization by the society. Especially now that the construction of solar thermal pilot plants has started, and that the builders were faced with the issue of “bright prospects but difficult process,” Wang Zhifeng winning the award as one of much expected leaders in the industry of solar thermal power generation has undoubtedly injected even more “positive energy” into the industry.
Group photo of participants and Professor Wang Zhifeng
It is reported that the Distinguished Contribution Award for Science and Technology in Solar Thermal Utilization was established at the proposal of the Secretariat of the Alliance, with the aim to commend the old comrades who have worked all their lives in the field of China’s solar thermal utilization for their hard work and great contributions. This proposal has been immediately praised from all parties and unanimously passed at the Chairmen’s Joint Conference of the Alliance. By reference to the selecting mechanism of Nobel Prize winners, this award does not rely on personal applications or recommendations by other institutions in its process of selection. There is no expert review. Instead, the Secretariat of the Alliance nominates five to ten candidates on the principle of impartiality, fairness and objectivity according to the summarization of investigation results in the whole industry, and reports the name list to all member units of the Alliance for voting. Three candidates are selected based on the votes from high to low. Finally, the expert committee of the Alliance votes and selects two candidates for the Joint Conference to vote and determine one of them to be the winner.
As the first award involving solar thermal utilization in China, the Distinguished Contribution Award for Science and Technology in Solar Thermal Utilization aims to reward those who have dedicated their whole lives to the solar thermal utilization field and made great contributions to promoting scientific and technologic progress, thus establishing a benchmark in the industry and encouraging more workers and enthusiasts of solar thermal utilization to promote the vigorous development of the solar thermal utilization cause through persistent pursuit, rigorous exploration and selfless spirit of scientific and technologic innovation.
Attachment: Award Presenting Speech for the 2016 Distinguished Contribution Award for Science and Technology in Solar Thermal Utilization in China
Where there are thoughts, there is the sun;
Where the fatuity stays, there is coldness;
You draw design a complete set of scientific from these simple and objective facts.
The dawn breaks and the sun rises, as it has every day for the last five billion years.
The sun has shone its warm and fiery light onto the earth for tens of millions of years, nourishing all living things;
However, underneath the glare lies its eternal yet constantly changing face.
We cannot exist on the earth without the sun;
The sun is probably our only hope for the future.
Now we are in the golden period of solar science;
Step by step, scientists are exploring the hot core of the sun and the powerful energy it bursts forth.
One of them is a scholar that’s among us, working to explore the use of this energy
Under his leadership,
We have established solar thermal power plants and realized the change from zero to one;
Through his thoughts,
The scientific question of unsteady optical-thermal-electric coupling process has been put forward;
Under his guidance,
The development path of the fourth generation of solar thermal power generation technology has been made clear;
With his promotion,
China’s solar thermal power generation technology has seized considerable advantage to the rest of the world.
He is the first Chinese who holds a key position in the Solar PACES;
He loves riding the snow in the snow-covered mountains;
He is a rigorous technical researcher and an enthusiastic scientific explorer;
He has made great achievements in the field of solar thermal power generation research;
He has devoted his intelligence to the transformation of scientific achievements to industrial production;
He has held fast to the front line of scientific research and education for decades.
The team he led is a bright flag in the field of solar thermal power generation technology research in China!
He is one of frontrunners in the industry of solar thermal power generation, a research professor of the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Science,
and the winner of the 2016 Distinguished Contribution Award for Science and Technology in Solar Thermal Utilization, Professor Wang Zhifeng.
