Green Smart Energy: A Safe and Sustainable Future – Successful Hosting of the 2025 Urban New Energy Forum

On the afternoon of May 8, the 2025 Urban New Energy Forum was successfully held under the theme of “Green Smart Energy: A Safe and Sustainable Future.” The forum was organized by the Changping District Government and hosted by the Changping District Bureau of Commerce. Notable attendees included Liu Meiying, Deputy Secretary-General of the Beijing Municipal Government; Li Xiangying, Director of the Beijing Council for the Promotion of International Trade; Wang Rui, Deputy Director of the Beijing Investment Promotion Service Center; and Bao Zhihua, Deputy Director of the Innovation Development and Talent Work Office of the Future Science City Management Committee.

Over 100 participants attended the forum, including experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, representatives from global top 500 new energy companies, and representatives from 50 Sino-Japanese energy enterprises. The event aimed to discuss the construction of a comprehensive energy system, explore high-quality development in advanced energy industries, and create a new model of mutually beneficial energy cooperation.

This event served as a key promotional activity for the China Pavilion during the Beijing Activity Week at the 2025 Osaka World Expo. Liu Meiying emphasized the close relationship between China and Japan, highlighting that both nations are not only partners in ideology but also companions in action on the path toward green energy transformation. As the capital of China, Beijing is committed to fulfilling its global climate governance responsibilities, implementing ecological civilization ideas, and integrating green and low-carbon development into its urban framework.

The “Energy Valley” of the Future Science City serves as the core area for Beijing’s energy industry, having established a cooperation platform with precise policy support, a robust innovation ecosystem, and abundant market opportunities. Liu expressed hope that more energy enterprises would engage with Beijing and the “Energy Valley,” leveraging technological innovation to jointly create a sustainable future for green energy.

Innovative Ideas Sparked through Thoughtful Discussions

The forum included keynote speeches and roundtable discussions, offering a broad platform for in-depth exchanges among attendees. Yu Ziqi, Deputy Director of the Energy Planning and Engineering Design Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, presented on “Building a Green Smart Comprehensive Energy System to Promote Urban Sustainable Development.” He analyzed critical issues in the current energy sector, pointing out that energy consumption in global cities and buildings accounts for approximately three-quarters of total energy consumption, with most building energy consumption stemming from fossil fuels. In China, carbon emissions from building operations represent about 28% of the nation’s total carbon emissions. Therefore, replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy in buildings is essential for energy conservation and emission reduction.

Liu Lianyu, President of the Energy Service Business Line at Mingyang Smart Energy Group, discussed the “Development of Offshore Wind Power in China and Prospects for Sino-Japanese Cooperation.” He elaborated on the global offshore wind power development, stating that offshore wind power is a crucial support for renewable energy development. Currently, China leads the world in offshore wind power, possessing the capabilities for independent design, research, manufacturing, installation, commissioning, and operation of large-capacity offshore wind turbines. China’s wind power supply chain is also robust, poised to provide technologically advanced, reliable, and cost-effective wind turbine products globally.

During the event, two significant Sino-Japanese energy cooperation projects were signed, focusing on the digital energy sector. The collaborating parties will adhere to principles of “equality, mutual benefit, complementary advantages, resource sharing, and common development” to foster innovation and industrial implementation in smart energy, artificial intelligence, and green technologies.

In the roundtable discussion, six entrepreneurs from China and Japan explored the crucial topic of “How to Establish an Efficient, Diverse, and Intelligent Comprehensive Energy System to Showcase Leadership in Advanced Energy Fields?” Participants unanimously agreed that technological innovation and comprehensive utilization are key pathways to achieving efficient energy savings and sustainable development. They emphasized the need to develop deep-sea wind energy resources and promote floating wind power technology to integrate marine energy with the marine economy. Additionally, they highlighted the importance of adjusting the energy consumption structure of building operation cycles and promoting heat pump technologies in conjunction with intelligent control and AI technologies to optimize HVAC systems.

Policies Empowering Innovation in the Energy Valley

At the forum, Bao Zhihua provided a detailed overview of the current status of energy industry development and policies in Changping District. Changping has introduced over 30 policy measures to foster the growth of high-tech enterprises and promote advanced manufacturing, hydrogen energy, and energy Internet development, along with talent policies such as the “Changju Project” to ensure a stable living environment for various talents in the Future Science City. This year, new policies supporting the development of novel energy storage technologies will also be introduced.

After more than a decade of development, the “Energy Valley” has become one of the most resource-rich areas for energy innovation in the nation, serving as Beijing’s primary base for advanced energy industry growth. It has established 60 national and provincial-level key laboratories and engineering technology centers, with 7 academic workstations. Major state-owned enterprises have set up branches or R&D headquarters in the area, and numerous high-quality private high-tech companies, such as Sany Heavy Energy and Mingyang Smart Energy, have also established a presence. The area has attracted over 20,000 research talents, fostering a collaborative innovation landscape among state-owned enterprises, private enterprises, and universities.

Currently, the “Energy Valley” hosts over 300 energy enterprises, forming a high-growth track for the energy Internet, alongside tracks for clean and efficient fossil energy utilization, and advanced hydrogen, energy storage, and carbon storage technologies. This year, in addition to these three main tracks, there will be a focus on extending into perovskite, new energy storage, and intelligent charging technologies. A complete industrial chain comprising research, pilot testing, production, sales, and trading services is being developed in the new energy sector.

As the “dual carbon” strategy gains momentum, Changping District aims to leverage the Future Science City as a pivotal point to build an internationally influential Energy Valley. The goal is to breakthrough key foundational technologies in the energy sector, consolidate leading projects, and realize advanced energy scenario demonstrations, thus establishing the Energy Valley as a new hallmark for implementing the national “dual carbon” strategy.

Changping District warmly invites elites from various sectors, especially those in the energy field, to explore Changping and engage with the Future Science City for investment and collaboration, contributing to the acceleration of Beijing’s development as an international science and technology innovation center and supporting the successful achievement of national “dual carbon” strategic goals.