A venue was set up to provide an overview of thermal energy technology, which is key to achieving carbon neutrality.


The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (President Park Sang-jin), under the Ministry of Science and ICT, will hold the '2022 Global Forum on Mechanical Engineering' simultaneously online and offline at the National Assembly Museum (formerly the Constitutional Memorial Hall) in Seoul on the 21st.

This forum is jointly hosted by the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM) and National Assembly members Kim Young-sik (People Power Party), Lee Sang-min (Democratic Party of Korea), and Cho Seung-rae (Democratic Party of Korea).

Amid growing awareness of the crisis regarding climate change, including persistent abnormal heatwaves and natural disasters year after year, this year's forum is drawing even more attention as it continues to present the topic of "carbon neutrality" following last year's forum, being held under the theme "Thermal Energy, the Key to Achieving Carbon Neutrality."

Son Jeong-rak, MD of the R&D Strategy Planning Group at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, will deliver the keynote speech. MD Son Jeong-rak, a distinguished scholar in the field of thermal energy who has served as a professor at the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Seoul National University and a principal researcher at the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, will deliver a keynote speech on the topic of thermal energy carbon neutrality technology strategies.

Session 1, themed on the global status of heat pump technology, will feature presentations by Stephan Renz, Chairman of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Heat Pump Technology Cooperation Program, on "Current Status of International Cooperation in Heat Pump Technology Development for Carbon Neutrality," and Oh Se-gi, Vice President of LG Electronics, on "Heat Pump Technology and Greenhouse Gas Reduction in the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Industry."

Session 2, themed around the Global Roadmap for Thermal Energy, will feature presentations by Professor Brian Vad Mathiesen of the University of Aalborg, Denmark, the European Thermal Energy Roadmap Project Coordinator, on 'Smart Energy Systems - A Multifaceted Analysis for 100% Renewable Energy and Decarbonization,' and by Yoon Seok-ho, Head of the Thermal Energy Solution Research Lab at the Korea Institute of Mechanical Engineering, on 'Current Status and Strategy for Thermal Energy Carbon Neutrality Technology Development at the Korea Institute of Mechanical Engineering.'

Those wishing to participate in the 2022 Global Machinery Technology Forum can pre-register on the forum website (http://www.kimm.re.kr/forum). The forum will be held simultaneously online and offline, and attendees may submit questions to the speakers in advance. On the day of the forum, it will be live-streamed via the website and YouTube channel.

Director Park Sang-jin said, “Carbon neutrality, which is becoming heavier day by day, is a challenge that all of humanity is bound to face. This forum will be a meaningful occasion to explore the path forward by examining the impact of thermal energy technology in addressing this critical agenda of carbon neutrality,” adding, “Through discussions on the direction of full-cycle thermal energy technology development and policies, we will find ways for the public and industry to achieve carbon neutrality more easily and effectively.”