The IEEE PES Day 2025Chinaevent was held on April 18, 2025, at Tsinghua University. The event, themed “Clean Energy, Smarter Grids, Better Lives,” was organized under the guidance of IEEE PCCC and hosted by the Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Electronics (EEA), Tsinghua University. It was co-sponsored by the IEEE PES Beijing Chapter, the Tsinghua University Student Branch, and the Beijing Jiaotong University Student Branch.

Distinguished guests included Professor Saifur Rahman, 2023 IEEE President and professor at Virginia Tech, USA; Dr. Hua Ning, Senior Director of IEEE Asia-Pacific; Professor Kang Chongqing, Chair of IEEE PCCC and Head of Tsinghua’s Department of Electrical Engineering; Professor Goran Strbac from Imperial College London; Professor Vladimir Terzija from Newcastle University; Ms. Zhang Xiaofeng from the Global Green Development Alliance; and Michael Nestor, Chair of the IEEE PES Imperial College London Student Branch, who represented overseas students.

Professor Saifur Rahman delivered the opening speech. He emphasized the importance of this year’s theme “Clean Energy, Smarter Grids, Better Lives” and underscored that advancing clean energy and smart grids is the generational responsibility of electrical engineers. He highlightedChina’s exemplary achievements in solar photovoltaic applications and resilient grid construction as global benchmarks, calling on students present to engage in the energy transformation with a problem-solving mindset.

Speech by Saifur Rahman

Dr. Hua Ning, Senior Director of IEEE Asia-Pacific, spoke next. He notedChina’s transformation from a participant to a global leader in the IEEE ecosystem. From standard setting to academic resource utilization, Chinese engineers have deeply shaped international energy technology paradigms. He urged the younger generation to adopt an open attitude toward global collaboration and let Chinese solutions illuminate the future grid.

Speech by Dr. Hua Ning

Professor Kang Chongqing, Chair of IEEE PCCC and Dean of EEA, also addressed the audience. He stated that this event, as part of the IEEE PES Day 2025Chinaseries, aims to build a global energy collaboration bridge. The PCCC has mobilized 26 ambassadors to promote 19 academic activities, accelerating the alignment of Chinese expertise with international standards.China’s “dual carbon” goals and the construction of new power systems are providing paradigms for global energy transition. Artificial intelligence and digital technologies are reshaping energy infrastructure. He called on young scholars to tackle global challenges such as data center energy efficiency and carbon footprint management through technological innovation, turning the vision of “Clean Energy, Smarter Grids, Better Lives” into reality.

Speech by Kang Chongqing

Associate Professor Zhong Haiwang, IEEE PES Day China Ambassador, introduced the series of IEEE PES Day 2025 activities inChinaand encouraged active participation.

Associate Professor Zhong Haiwang introduced the series of IEEE PES Day 2025 activities inChina

The keynote speeches began with Professor Goran Strbac from Imperial College London presenting “Role and Value of Flexibility in Supporting Cost Effective Transition to Resilient Low/Zero Carbon Energy Systems Dominated With RES.” He highlighted large-scale energy storage applications, deep coupling of hydrogen energy with the grid, and AI-driven distributed control, showing how flexibility technologies are reshaping energy system rules. Joint Sino-British research by Tsinghua and Imperial College demonstrated that multinational collaboration (such as the EU unified market) and multi-energy integration can reduce transition costs by over 10 billion yuan, offering a paradigm for a global zero-carbon future dominated by wind and solar power.

Speech by Professor Goran Strbac

The second keynote was by Professor Vladimir Terzija of Newcastle University, who spoke on “Smart Sensors, Efficient ICT and Big Data Analytics for Better Life.” In the context of grids dominated by wind and solar power, he proposed a “data + AI” dual-engine approach to optimize transmission efficiency, achieve second-level frequency stability, and digitally twin risk prediction. He stressed that the core of smart grids is the deep integration of data and control. From digital twins to dynamic frequency response, technological innovations are pushing power systems from “passive defense” to “active resilience,” providing reliable support for a renewable-energy-rich future.

Speech by Professor Vladimir Terzija

The roundtable forum was convened by Associate Researcher Duershun from Tsinghua University. Panelists included Ms. Zhang Xiaofeng, Founder and President of the Global Green Development Alliance; Associate Professor Teng Fei from Imperial College London; Mr. Li Zhongyang, Director of the Energy Electronics Center at Tsinghua University’s Department of Electronics; Researcher Sun Mingyang from Peking University’s School of Engineering; Senior Expert Zhang Xi from the Communication Institute of China Electric Power Research Institute; Ms. Wang Yue, Deputy Director of the Data Center Department of the Cloud Computing and Big Data Research Institute of China Academy of Information and Communications Technology; and Ms. Yan Yuejun, Energy Computing Innovation Director of Alibaba Cloud Data Centers. The participants exchanged in-depth views on key issues, current status, and future prospects of the digital energy revolution based on their own research.

Roundtable discussion

The event atmosphere was lively, with students actively engaging experts through questions, and experts providing detailed answers. The event not only enriched students’ knowledge of clean energy and the digital energy revolution but also helped them understand cutting-edge industry developments from the keynote speeches and roundtable forum, leaving students with a rewarding experience.

At the event

Group photos were taken to mark the conclusion of the event. Teachers, experts, and students attending engaged deeply on the theme “Clean Energy, Smarter Grids, Better Lives,” discussing the transformative potential of clean energy and smart grids while raising awareness of IEEE PES Day.

Group photo