Several New Energy Technologies Recognized Among “Top 10 Technological Innovations in the Energy Sector for 2025”

Recently, the National Energy Administration released its list of the "Top 10 Technological Innovations in the Energy Sector for 2024," which includes breakthroughs across a range of fields such as oil and gas, mining, coal chemical industry, and electricity. Among the selected innovations, several are closely related to the new energy sector.

 

ORIGINAL BY NLS

 

Recently, the National Energy Administration released its list of the "Top 10 Technological Innovations in the Energy Sector for 2024," which includes breakthroughs across a range of fields such as oil and gas, mining, coal chemical industry, and electricity. Among the selected innovations, several are closely related to the new energy sector.

 

One notable achievement is the 80-meter deep-sea self-elevating integrated survey platform for offshore wind power, a key technology in geotechnical investigations for offshore wind farm construction. This platform integrates intelligent drilling, in-situ testing, geotechnical experiments, geophysical surveying, and geotechnical engineering analysis. It is the largest, fastest, and most precise platform of its kind in China, designed to operate at the greatest water depths. Deployed in offshore wind projects along Shandong Peninsula, Cangnan in Zhejiang, and Ningde in Fujian, this technology has greatly enhanced the efficiency and accuracy of site surveys, playing a critical role in ensuring the successful design, construction, and operation of deep-sea wind power projects.

 

80-meter deep-sea self-elevating integrated survey platform for offshore wind power

 

In the energy storage field, a large-capacity sodium-ion battery storage system was also recognized. Sodium-ion batteries have emerged as a key technology for new power systems, offering abundant raw materials, low extraction costs, and easy controllability. This breakthrough overcomes significant challenges in large-capacity sodium-ion battery storage, boasting fully independent intellectual property in core material systems, system integration, and safety mechanisms. Successfully deployed in sodium-ion storage projects in Nanning, Guangxi, and Qianjiang, Hubei, this technology is helping to drive the large-scale application of sodium-ion battery storage in China.

 

Large-capacity sodium-ion battery storage system

 

Grid-forming technology is another major development. The high-voltage, large-capacity power electronic grid-forming equipment established a new set of control theories, enabling high-rate short-circuit current support in milliseconds and zero-delay inertial response during grid faults. The resulting series of equipment—such as the 35 kV/50 Mvar static synchronous compensator, grid-side ultra-capacitor VAR compensators, and ±500 kV/4500 MW grid-forming flexible DC systems—have been successfully applied in large-scale projects, including the Xiapu Flexible DC project in Fujian and the Tibet power supply security project. These innovations provide critical support for the development of large-scale clean energy bases.

 

Grid-forming technology

 

In the hydrogen energy sector, a new, highly efficient 3000 standard cubic meters per hour alkaline water electrolysis hydrogen production system has also been recognized. The system overcomes challenges related to electrode stability, low-energy consumption, high-resistance, low-impedance membranes, and large-scale electrolyzer optimization. The technology was successfully implemented in November 2024 in the Xingguo Casting Industry’s green hydrogen production project, which integrates hydrogen production, storage, and hydrogen-enriched smelting for a 450-cubic-meter high-blast furnace. This project marks a significant milestone in advancing China’s green hydrogen industry chain.

 

New highly efficient 3000 standard cubic meters per hour alkaline water electrolysis hydrogen production system