The opening ceremony of the “2026 Discover at HUST - Green Energy for a Zero-Carbon Future” International Summer School was officially held in Room S311 of the Clean Energy Building on July 2. The event invited experts and scholars from the University of Padova (Italy), Politecnico di Torino (Italy), the National Technical University of Athens (Greece), and the University of Zaragoza (Spain). Leaders, faculty members and administrative staff from the School of International Education, the Office of International Affairs, the Graduate School and the China‑EU Institute for Clean and Renewable Energy (ICARE) of Huazhong University of Science and Technology attended the ceremony.

Featuring top-tier faculty in the energy sector from multiple countries, the event uses diverse teaching formats, including cutting-edge lectures, academic seminars, research-oriented practical activities, enterprise visits and cultural exchanges. It further promotes talent mobility and research collaboration between Chinese and European universities in clean energy and carbon neutrality, fostering innovative young talent with a global perspective for the development of the green and low-carbon industry worldwide.

On the morning of July 2, Professor Fabrizio Dughiero, Head of the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Padova in Italy, Visiting Professor of HUST and European supervisor of our institute, delivered a cutting-edge academic presentation entitled Net Energy Intelligence: Can AI Save More Energy Than It Consumes?. He shared in-depth insights into frontier topics including the synergy between artificial intelligence and energy systems and intelligent energy conservation, and engaged in extensive discussions with experts and students in a vibrant atmosphere.

On the afternoon of July 3, Professor Massimo Santarelli from Politecnico di Torino, Italy, gave an academic lecture titled Electrochemical and thermochemical based processes for production of e-chemicals and solar-chemicals, attracting around 30 Chinese and international participants. Professor Santarelli delivered a thematic presentation focusing on electrolysis, thermal catalysis, and CO₂capture and utilization. Interactive Q&A sessions were held throughout the talk. After the lecture, a number of students engaged in in-depth exchanges and discussions with the professor.

On the morning of July 4, Associate Professor Li Song, Chinese supervisor of ICARE, delivered a professional presentation entitled Introduction to Hydrogen Energy and Research Progress at HUST, focusing on two core technologies: electrolytic hydrogen production and hydrogen power-generation equipment. Supported by experimental data from her research group and physical prototypes, Professor Li shared specialized knowledge of hydrogen energy. The session broadened the research horizons of Chinese and international students in the energy sector, helped them understand the technical bottlenecks and industrial prospects of hydrogen-energy technologies, and provided a platform for academic exchange among faculty and students. An open Q&A session was arranged towards the end of the lecture, where teachers and students discussed a wide range of hydrogen-energy-related topics.

On the morning of July 5, the fourth lecture of the series - "Wind energy: market, potential, technology" +Renewable vs Nuclear energy: Rivals or Allies for Net Zero? - took place in Room S311 of the Clean Energy Building. Centered on wind energy, the presentation covered wind-power market growth, resource potential, technical advances and future application prospects. Dr. Georgios Karalis, Researcher at the National Technical University of Athens and European supervisor of ICARE, systematically illustrated the opportunities and challenges facing the wind-energy industry with reference to wind-power development in Europe, China and across the globe. An open Q&A session followed the lecture, during which students discussed wind-energy technologies, market trends and future development pathways with the speaker.

On the afternoon of July 8, Professor Yang Yang, Chinese supervisor of ICARE from the School of Energy and Power Engineering, delivered a special lecture entitled Introduction to Bioenergy.

Starting with the definition and development significance of bioenergy, Professor Yang introduced biomass as a renewable energy derived from animals, plants and organic waste, which can be converted into heat, electricity, fuels and chemicals through various conversion routes.

In terms of technical pathways, he focused on three conversion approaches: thermochemical conversion, biochemical conversion and chemical conversion. Combined with practical energy‑system applications, Professor Yang discussed the application scenarios of bioenergy in heating, power generation, transport fuels, industrial energy and rural energy supply.

After the lecture, Professor Li Zehua from the State Key Laboratory of Coal Combustion and Low Carbon Utilization briefly introduced the laboratory’s development positioning, research priorities and platform construction to teachers and students. During the subsequent on-site tour, Professor Li provided specific and vivid explanations of the laboratory’s research platforms, research tasks and low-carbon energy-utilization pathways, drawing on experimental facilities and real-world research scenarios.

On the afternoon of July 9, Ms. Liu Hui, Deputy Director of Technical Support at CGN New Energy Yunnan Branch, was invited to deliver a special lecture entitled Application of Energy Storage Technologies in Power Grids. Ms. Liu gave a systematic presentation covering energy transition demands, the development of the energy storage market, application scenarios on the generation side, grid side and user side, major energy storage technology routes, as well as commercial development trends.

After the lecture, participants visited the Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics. A docent gave a full tour introduction to the laboratory’s development history, three major research areas and representative scientific achievements, including a host of breakthroughs in domestically developed independent technologies across biomedical photonics, information photonics and energy photonics.

The one-week lecture series and supporting practical activities came to a successful conclusion. Centered on green energy, the summer school built a high-quality platform for in-depth exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and international faculty and students. It enabled young scholars from China and abroad to gain first-hand exposure to cutting-edge technologies and the latest research developments in the energy sector, and facilitated academic collaboration and resource sharing between Chinese and European universities in the field of clean energy.