Deputy Prime Minister Alexander
Novak presented awards to the laureates of the Global Energy Prize for 2020 and
2021 on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The awards ceremony took
place in Moscow as part of Russian Energy Week. The event was attended by
Rosseti CEO Andrey Ryumin. The ceremony was hosted by Global Energy Association
President Sergey Brilev and Russia 24 TV channel anchor Darya Kozlova.
The recipients of the award for
2021 were announced in Kazan on 6 September. The laureates are: Zinfer
Ismagilov, director of the Institute of Coal Chemistry and Chemical Materials
Science of the Federal Research Centre for Coal and Coal Chemistry of the
Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Suleyman Allakhverdiyev,
head of the Laboratory for Controlled Photosynthesis at the Timiryazev
Institute of Plant Physiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and chief
researcher at the Institute of Fundamental Problems of Biology of the Russian
Academy of Sciences; and Yi Cui, director of the Precourt Institute for Energy
at Stanford University, co-director of the StorageX Initiative project, and
professor of materials science and engineering.
Zinfer Ismagilov won the category
of ‘Conventional Energy’ for his fundamental contributions to the chemistry of
carbon materials, heterogeneous catalysis, and combatting climate change.
Suleyman Allakhverdiev was a laureate in the category of ‘Unconventional
Energy’ for his outstanding contribution to the development of alternative
energy and scientific achievements in the design of artificial photosynthesis
systems and a series of scientific works in bioenergy and hydrogen energy. Yi
Cui was selected in the category of ‘New Technologies’ for his exceptional
contribution to the development, synthesis, and characterization of
nanomaterials for energy and the environment, in particular for his
transformational innovations in battery science.
The 2020 laureates were announced
on 8 September 2020 at the Tsiolkovsky State Museum of Cosmonautics in Kaluga.
The laureates are: Carlo Rubbia, a professor at the Gran Sasso Science
Institute, former CEO of the European Organization for Nuclear Research, and
senator for life of Italy; Peidong Yang, the director of the Kavli Energy
NanoScience Institute and professor at the University of California at
Berkeley; and Nikos Hatziargyriou, the director of and a professor at the
National Technical University of Athens.
Carlo Rubbia was a laureate in the
category of ‘Conventional Energy’ for promoting sustainable energy in the context
of nuclear waste disposal and natural gas pyrolysis. Peidong Yang was
recognized in the category of ‘New Technologies’ for inventing
nanoparticle-based solar panels and developments in artificial photosynthesis.
Nikos Hatziargyriou was awarded in the category of ‘Unconventional Energy’ for
his contribution to stabilizing the operation of power grids as well as the
development of smart power grids and microgrids using artificial intelligence.
The award was presented for the
last two years due to coronavirus restrictions and the cancellation of REW
2020.
One of the laureates, Carlo Rubbia,
announced that he would spend the Global Energy Prize money on the creation of
a fund to support the development of young scientists in Russia. The Foundation
is called Energy of Generations.
“In the modern world, energy is one
of the foundations of socioeconomic development. For this reason, scientific
discoveries in this regard affect the further course of development of our
entire civilization. In this vein, the Global Energy Prize is becoming a truly
significant event that not only defines the future of the fuel and energy
industry, but of all mankind,” Alexander Novak said during the ceremony.
“Global Energy is undoubtedly a
unique phenomenon for world science. A community of scientists and specialists
has taken shape around the award and the association of the same name, who are
aching, in a good sense, for the future of the energy industry and are ready to
offer revolutionary solutions to the most difficult problems. Energy transition
and changes in the structure of the energy balance and consumption dictate new
requirements, including for grid companies. Many of the technological solutions
that are used today are directly linked to the results of the discoveries made by
the laureates of the award,” Rosseti CEO Andrey Ryumin said.
“In the last year and a half, the
Global Energy Prize has undergone a significant transformation. Its geography
has expanded and the scope of scientific developments and research subjects in
the energy sector has increased. Despite the pandemic, during the last
nomination cycle there were already three times more applicants for the award
than two years prior. The number of participating countries has also tripled.
This has made it possible to select truly outstanding scientific works, which,
of course, will be of great practical importance,” Global Energy Association
President Sergey Brilev said.
The 2022 laureates are expected to
be announced in the city of Khanty-Mansiysk.
