The third session of the Carbon Neutrality and Energy System Transformation (CNEST) Frontiers Seminar was successfully hosted at Tsinghua University’s Institute for Carbon Neutrality on October 15. The event featured a lecture by Professor Daniel S. Cohan from Rice University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, titled “Energy Transition in the U.S. and Beyond.”

Professor Cohan discussed key decarbonization pathways in the U.S., including power sector decarbonization, electrification, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and hydrogen development. He highlighted recent ambitious U.S. climate policies, such as the goal to cut emissions by 50-52% from 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2050, the Inflation Reduction Act (2022) offering tax incentives for clean energy, and the Energy Earthshots Initiative (2021) supporting innovation in long-duration storage, offshore wind, clean hydrogen, and CCS. These measures have spurred major shifts in energy and transportation: solar, wind, and storage now dominate new power capacity; transmission expansion is urgently needed; and electricity demand is projected to grow at 2.2% annually due to EVs and data centers.

However, Professor Cohan also pointed out challenges including higher costs and slower infrastructure deployment compared to other countries. For example, residential solar costs in the U.S. are twice those in Australia, project development takes 2-3 times longer than in China, and electric vehicle adoption remains below the global average. CCS and green hydrogen still face significant cost barriers.

The seminar was chaired by Professor Lu Xi, Assistant to the Dean of the Institute, and attended by faculty and students from Tsinghua University, Beijing Forestry University, University of Science and Technology Beijing, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, as well as industry representatives. Professor Lu presented a commemorative plaque to Professor Cohan following the talk.

The CNEST Frontiers Seminar Series is organized by the CNEST Multilateral Cooperation Program and the World Carbon Neutrality Society (preparatory), and hosted by Tsinghua’s Institute for Carbon Neutrality. It aims to invite leading global experts to share cutting-edge insights on technology, industry, and policy related to carbon neutrality and energy system transformation.