Wind turbines rotate as sea breezes flow through the Cengang Wind Farm in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang Province. Photo: cnsphoto

Tsinghua University, China's top academy, announced on Wednesday the establishment of the Institute for Carbon Neutrality (ICON), a research center for the studies on carbon neutrality. The research hub will focus on making breakthroughs to solve bottlenecks in major technologies in an effort to contribute more talents and resources to China's commitment of green development. The institute is aimed to serve the country's needs and resolution to tackle climate change.

He Kebin, Deputy Director of the National Experts Committee on Ecological Protection and professor of the School of Environment at Tsinghua University, was appointed dean of ICON. He said that Tsinghua's strengths in basic research and interdisciplinary integration will give the institute advantageous resources to accelerate breakthroughs of core technologies. 

Xie Zhenhua, China's special envoy for climate change affairs, attended the inauguration ceremony, and Elon Musk, co-founder and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, also sent a congratulatory letter.

Tsinghua University has accumulated rich experience in the area, the report said, including low-carbon power generation, new-generation power systems, zero-carbon transportation, and zero-carbon construction.

A number of innovations have also been developed by the university in the fields of industrial emission reduction technologies, carbon synergy, CCUS (carbon capture, utilization and storage) and carbon sinks. 

The institute will work with other industries and regional cooperation platforms to jointly build flagship green enterprises and cities. 

Meanwhile it will boost communication with top academies across the world to increase China's influence on international carbon neutrality technology. 

The ICON aims to enhance cooperation and exchange with world-class universities and research institutes, organize and conduct international cooperation and strategic research, and take part in major international scientific plans and projects in the sector of carbon neutrality, according to a statement by the research hub.

"China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy, and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in his speech by video at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.

The huge sacrifice China made demonstrates its "firmest determination and greatest efforts" to make solid and detailed plans in achieving its green commitment and its devotion to solving humanity's most crucial issues, experts and industry players said.