Zi-Qiang Zhu took home the Prize in the Conventional Energy category for outstanding contribution to the development of electric transport, increasing the energy efficiency of household appliances, reducing emissions from power generation and use, as well as the production of energy from renewable sources.
Héctor D. Abruña emerged as the winner in the Non-Conventional Energy category for fundamental contribution to electrochemistry, batteries, fuel cells and molecular electronics.
Minggao Ouyang was awarded in the New Ways of Energy Application category for technical leadership in the strategic planning, research, demonstration and commercialization of new energy vehicles, and in particular for addressing technical challenges related to the durability of hydrogen fuel cells, safety of lithium-ion batteries and vehicle-to-grid interoperability.
“I would like to thank the Global Energy Prize International Award Committee for giving me this prestigious award. I would like to thank my family, my students and colleagues at the University of Sheffield and the industry collaborators for their continuous support. I’m working on modern electrical machines and control systems, particularly permanent magnet machines and drives. Thanks to their energy efficiency and power density, their application has had a major impact on the net-zero economy. For example, they are used in electric transport, including electric vehicles, trains, ships and aircraft, in the use and production of renewable energy, such as wind power, as well as in industrial drives, robots, automation systems and domestic appliances. This has had a major impact on society thanks to the reduction in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions as a result of significant efficiency improvements,” Zi-Qiang Zhu noted in his video message.
“It is truly humbling to be here at this ceremony. I accept this award on behalf of all of the people who for the last 41 years, through their creativity, hard work, and dedication have made this possible. I also wanted to add that addressing the global energy challenge will require the effort and dedication of all nations. We should take this opportunity to bring everyone to work together on what is clearly the challenge of our times,” said Héctor D. Abruña.
“I am so grateful and honored to receive this Prize. My team and I have been deeply involved in the energy field for more than 30 years, focused on the strategic planning, research, demonstration and commercialization of new energy vehicles. I am profoundly thankful for the trust and encouragement received from my team, family, colleagues, and the Global Energy Association. Finally, I will continue to move forward and spare no efforts to promote the development of the global new energy,” noted Minggao Ouyang.
