top of page

Global Green Development Alliance
2023 Holiday Gathering and Forum: Discussions on the Sunnylands Statement and the Filoli Dialogue

The Global Green Development Alliance (GLOGDA) 2023 Holiday Gathering and Forum took place at Stanford University on December 2, 2023. Under the theme "Enhancing Cooperation to Drive Climate Action," the forum provided a platform for extensive discussions on the Sunnylands Statement and the Filoli Dialogue. Receiving leaders representing both private and public sectors, the event featured participants from academia to local governments, building upon the momentum generated during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit held in the preceding weeks.

IMG_3162.PNG
IMG_3163.JPG

The holiday gathering and forum comprised an opening remark and roundtable discussions. 

Opening Remark

Speakers: 

  • Xiaofeng Zhang, President of Global Green Development Alliance (GLOGDA) 

  • Pengfei Gao, Counselor of the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in San Francisco

  • Yan Zhao, Deputy Mayor of the City of Saratoga

  • Anders Fung, City of Millbrae City Council Member

​

Moderator：

  • Carrie Wang, Vice President of Global Green Development Alliance (GLOGDA)

Roundtable: Enhance Cooperation for Green Low-Carbon

Moderator: 

  • April Zheng, Vice President of GLOGDA

 

Panelists: 

  • Benjamin Xu, Chairman and Founding Managing Partner, XCapital Management

  • Denton Peng, CEO and Chairman of Phoenix Motor Inc. (NASDAQ:PEV) and SPI Energy

  • James Sweeney, Professor of Management Science and Engineering, Director of the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center, Stanford University

  • Jian Zhang, Founder and CEO of CFEX

  • Patrick Burt, Council Member & Former Mayor of the City of Palo Alto

IMG_3169.JPG

Discussion Highlights and Takeaways:  

  • Decarbonization strategy for the U.S. – set clear goals, pay attention to trade-offs, and prioritize renewables and nuclear power plants.

Panelist - Patrick Burt

Council Member & Former Mayor of the City of Palo Alto

Patrick Burt, Council Member & Former Mayor of the City of Palo Alto, highlights the importance of bilateral agreements between nations in addressing climate change, citing the Sunnylands agreement between the US and China as a key foundation for future international agreements. He emphasized the role of subnational collaborations and initiatives, such as California’s efforts with Governor Newsom and President Xi, in driving progress on climate action. Emphasized key direction for the US to decarbonize: Set clear goals, pay attention to trade-offs, and prioritize renewables and nuclear power plants.

  • #1 energy efficiency, #2 fuel switching, #3 renewables, #4 storage in order to combat climate change. 

IMG_3171.JPG

Panelist - James Sweeney

Professor of Management Science and Engineering, Director of the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center, Stanford University

James Sweeney, Professor of Management Science and Engineering, Director of the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center, Stanford University, highlighted the importance of addressing carbon emissions from transportation and agriculture to combat climate change. Pointed out the tension between environmental regulations and protectionism in the Inflation Reduction Act, particularly in the context of electric vehicles and battery materials.

  • Palo Alto has been actively working to lower carbon emissions: transportation and housing electrification, enhance the local grid to ensure reliability and resilience for electric vehicles (EVs) and other electric outlets.

    • The City of Palo Alto as pointed out by Former-Mayor Patrick Burt aimed to reach 80% electric vehicle adoption by 2030 but faces challenges in upgrading the charging system and grid capacity. As of today, the city is the record holder for highest EV adoption rate in the U.S. 

    • Electro-retrofitting existing buildings is a major challenge in decarbonizing the city's buildings, with a leading/proactive program starting for homes to replace natural gas with electricity ahead of time. 

    • The city has been implementing various programs to electrify transportation and housing, including a turnkey program for hot water heater replacement and more programs to come for furnaces, air conditioners. 

    • For close proximity power storage, the city is exploring the use of vehicle storage and vehicle-to-grid technology for long-term storage and grid stabilization.

​

  • Major challenges in establishing renewable energy factories in the United States include elevated labor expenses and turnover rates.

    • Denton Peng, CEO and Chairman of Phoenix Motor Inc. (NASDAQ:PEV) and SPI Energy, faced challenges in hiring employees in the US renewable energy industry, particularly in the southern region, where it takes 2-3 years to hire one employee compared to Asia where it takes weaker financials.

    • The company is acquiring a bus company and converting it to electric buses, but faces a challenge in directly converting from BYD due to a lack of suitcase and jet travel options for employees.

    • Mr. Peng highlights the challenge of training and retaining employees in the US, particularly in California, due to high turnover rates and difficulty in finding skilled workers.

    • Mr. Peng notes that the training process is complex and time-consuming, with different regulations in each state and a need for ongoing support from training centers and government programs.
       

  • Decarbonization strategies center on carbon tracking, guided by the principle that "You can't decrease what you can't measure, you can't decrease what you don't measure."

IMG_3172.JPG

Panelist - Jian Zhang

Founder and CEO of CFEX

  • Jian Zhang, Founder and CEO of CFEX, emphasized the importance of renewable energy deployment and methane emissions mitigation to achieve the 1.5-degree temperature rise cap. Measure carbon emissions comprehensively both on the energy generation and consumption sides. 

  • Professor James Sweeney outlines a roadmap for measuring and decarbonizing energy consumption, with a focus on streamlining and democratizing renewable procurement for not only big corporations but also SMBs.

  • The active involvement and innovative expertise of the private sector are essential for achieving energy efficiency goals and fostering groundbreaking innovations similar to the LED revolution.

    • Professor James Sweeney pointed out that energy efficiency may be seen as boring, but from a decarbonization perspective energy efficiency is the key to achieve carbon neutrality

    • Private sector innovations in energy efficiency are key to decarbonizing the world, with China and US cooperation crucial. 

Roundtable: Renewable Energy and Storage with Grid Edge

Moderator: 

  • George Zhou, Senior Vice President of GLOGDA

 

Panelists: 

  • Gang Xiong, Director of California Technology Center, First Solar, Inc

  • Guangyi Liu, Chief Scientist, Envision Digital

  • Linhui Sui, President of International System Business Unit, Trina Solar

  • Wayne J. Lee, Former Mayor of Millbrae

  • Wendy Zhang, Director of ESS Business Development & Policy at CATL USA

  • Ye Zheng, Associate Consultant, Energy & Environmental Economics

IMG_3173.JPG

Discussion Highlights and Takeaways:  ​

  • Batteries should be viewed as a solution rather than a problem in the context of sustainable energy. Optimal battery innovation is characterized by balancing storage capacity and cycleability.

    • Wendy Zhang, Director of ESS Business Development & Policy at CATL USA mentioned that energy storage systems, such as batteries, play a crucial role in enhancing the stability and reliability of the electrical grid. They can store excess energy generated during periods of high renewable energy production (e.g., sunny or windy days) and release it when demand is high or during periods of low renewable generation. This helps balance the supply and demand on the grid, contributing to a more stable and reliable power system.

  • How to manage The Duck Curve challenge for solar energy – storage excess energy, balance solar and other sources when solar is intermittent. 

    • Guangyi Liu, Chief Scientist, Envision Digital referred to The Duck Curve is a term used in the context of renewable energy and grid management, particularly with the integration of large-scale solar power generation. It refers to a graphical representation of the difference between electricity demand and the amount of available solar energy throughout the day. The curve typically shows a significant drop in demand during the middle of the day when solar generation is high, resembling the shape of a duck.

Roundtable: Innovation and Investment for Green Sustainable

Moderator: 

  • Edward Chen, Co-Chair of GLOGDA Young Professionals Division

 

Panelists: 

  • Ci Zhang, CEO of Lucky Star Films LLC

  • Eva Lu, Global Lead, Partnerships of Google Cloud Learning Services

  • Guangting Chen, Assistant Professor in Dept. of Statistics and Operations Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  • Paul McEntire, Chairman of Palo Alto Advisors

  • Pengwei Wang, Chairman of Guorun Capital

  • Yiyi Jin, General Counsel of NewsBreak; Board member and Legal of GLOGDA

IMG_3174.JPG

Discussion Highlights and Takeaways:  ​

  • Importance of embracing innovation and teaching younger generations to have an innovative mindset.

    • Eva Lu, Global Lead, Partnerships of Google Cloud Learning Services mentioned embracing innovation promotes a culture of continuous learning. Individuals who value innovation are more likely to seek out new knowledge and skills, staying relevant in a rapidly evolving job market. Online learning and training are going to be the norm for the next-generation. 

  • Legal compliance in innovation, highlighting the need for creative problem-solving and collaboration between legal and business teams.

    • Yiyi Jin, General Counsel of NewsBreak; Board member and Legal of GLOGDA mentioned: “Often business and product teams come to me with innovative ideas and sometimes the answer from the legal perspective is no you can’t do that, but I will explain to them why you can’t do this and instead what you can do as a way to collaborate. This allowed us to release innovative products and stay competitive as a business.” 

Conclusion

The pursuit of green energy, sustainability, and addressing climate change reflects significant progress, yet the prevailing sentiment emphasizes the substantial work that remains. Today's discussions consistently underscore the pivotal role of local government backing, collaborative efforts across borders, and innovative contributions from the private sector as essential components for accomplishing the remaining challenges.

IMG_3175.JPG

Rewarding volunteers with a Certificate of Appreciation

IMG_3182.JPG

GLOGDA Team Photo

GLOGDA Young Professionals Volunteer Recruitment

The Young Professionals Division is an important part of GLOGDA, responsible for a series of lectures, website publications, and extensive organization and publicity work for our summits. We welcome young professionals to actively participate, work together, and contribute to global green development.
 

We are currently in great need of volunteers in the areas of publicity (writing, editing, posters), activities, and community management.

bottom of page