Laureates Receive Global Energy Prize at Award Ceremony

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.