Journals | Engineering

Energy is an important material foundation and driving force for the progress of human civilization and is crucial to national economy, people’s livelihood, and national security. The report to the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) proposed for the first time to “promote the revolution in energy production and consumption”. In 2014, General Secretary Xi proposed a new energy-security strategy that promotes energy consumption, supply, technology, and mechanism revolutions as well as international cooperation. The report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC proposed to “deepen energy revolution”, which pointed out the direction for China’s energy development in the new era.

In May 2013, the Chinese Academy of Engineering launched the major consulting projects “Strategic Research on Promoting Revolution in Energy Production and Consumption”, which proposed the strategic ideas, goals, technical roadmap, and policy recommendations for the energy revolution. In October 2015, the “Strategic Research on Promoting Revolution in Energy Production and Consumption (Phase II)” project was launched, focusing on rural energy revolution, energy development in west China, and energy cooperation along the Belt and Road. In November 2018, the “Strategic Research on Promoting Revolution in Energy Production and Consumption (Phase III)” project was launched, which combines energy revolution with regional development strategies and studies the proactive role of energy revolution in economic and social development and ecological environment protection. In March 2020, the Phase IV research was launched with the theme of “Energy Strategy (2035)”, which analyzed the new situation of energy development in China and abroad, focused on primary energy sources and key energy technologies, and proposed the overall idea, goals, priorities, roadmap, and relevant countermeasures for China’s energy development in 2035, hoping to provide a strong support for China’s national energy strategy.

This special issue publishes the representative research results of the “Energy Strategy (2035)” project, covering strategic layout, target recommendations, demand forecast, transformation paths, clean and efficient utilization of coal, development and utilization of clean energy, development paths of energy advantageous areas, and construction and grid connection of new-energy supply systems. The study also analyzes the new situation of energy development in the new era and examines the key points of the path for energy revolution from the perspective of engineering science and technology, which can provide references for further promoting the energy revolution, achieving the carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, and supporting high-quality economic and social development.