On June 25, Academician Li Jinghong of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Professor at Tsinghua University visited the School of Materials Science and Engineering for an academic exchange. The lecture was chaired by Professor Cui Hongzhi, Dean of the School.
The presentation provided a comprehensive overview of China’s emerging energy storage industry, focusing on national policies, project development, industrial ecosystem, and market scale. Academician Li reviewed the current development of the industry, changes in market structure, and future development trends. He noted that, driven by sustained policy support, rapid technological advancement, and the continuous improvement of electricity market mechanisms, the role of energy storage in China’s national energy strategy has undergone a fundamental transformation. Energy storage systems have evolved from being passive supporting facilities within the power system to becoming essential infrastructure for the energy transition. As a result, China’s emerging energy storage industry has experienced rapid expansion and entered a new stage characterized by large-scale deployment, market-oriented development, and global competitiveness.
Academician Li Jinghong gave a report
Discussing technological innovation and future market opportunities, Academician Li emphasized that research and development efforts are increasingly shifting toward long-duration energy storage technologies. He pointed out that continued advances in lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries, and flow batteries are expected to become key drivers of industrial upgrading. At the same time, emerging application scenarios—including direct renewable electricity supply, zero-carbon industrial parks, and artificial intelligence data centers—are creating new growth opportunities for the energy storage industry.
During the question-and-answer session, Academician Li engaged in extensive discussions with faculty members and students. Participants raised questions from multiple research perspectives, and he drew on both his scientific research experience and industrial insights to provide detailed and practical responses.
The lecture offered a comprehensive interpretation of the future development of the emerging energy storage industry chain, combining analyses of cutting-edge technologies with discussions of real-world industrial challenges. It broadened the academic perspectives of faculty members and students in the field of energy storage and provided valuable theoretical insights and practical guidance for future research.
Group photo
Text: Yang Li
Photos: Deng Fei
