Amidst heightened urgency for achieving carbon neutrality due to the climate crisis, including global abnormal heatwaves and natural disasters, the '2022 Global Mechanical Engineering Forum,' which provided a platform to share the present and future of thermal energy technologies for realizing a carbon-neutral society, has successfully concluded.

The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (President Park Sang-jin) held the '2022 Global Forum on Mechanical Engineering' simultaneously online and offline at the National Assembly Museum in Seoul on the 21st, under the theme 'Thermal Energy, the Key to Achieving Carbon Neutrality'.

Sponsored by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Council on Science and Technology, this forum was co-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). Following last year's forum, the event was organized under the theme of 'Carbon Neutrality' to provide insights into the present and future of thermal energy, featuring speakers from all walks of life, including world-renowned scholars in the field of thermal energy technology, global business leaders, and domestic experts.

Son Jeong-rak, MD of the R&D Strategy Planning Group at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, served as the keynote speaker. MD Son Jeong-rak, a leading domestic expert 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, delivered a keynote speech on the topic of "Thermal Energy Carbon Neutrality Technology Strategy."

Speakers included Stefan Lenz, Chairman of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Heat Pump Technology Cooperation Program, LG Electronics Vice President Oh Se-gi, and Professor Brian Mathieson of the University of Aalborg, Denmark. Yoon Seok-ho, Head of the Thermal Energy Solution Research Laboratory at the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), gave a presentation on the current status and strategy for the development of carbon-neutral thermal energy technologies.

In the panel discussion, the final session of the forum, Seoul National University Professor Kim Min-soo, MD Son Jeong-rak, Vice President Oh Se-gi, Chairman Stefan Lenz, and Director Yoon Seok-ho participated and added depth to the forum by reviewing the present and future of thermal energy technology presented at the forum.

President Park Sang-jin stated, “Based on the capabilities we have accumulated so far, thermal energy technology is expected to exert a powerful influence in solving the challenge of our time to achieve carbon neutrality,” adding, “Based on the future and in-depth outlook of thermal energy technology discussed at today’s forum, we will strive to ensure that KIMM leads the development of excellent thermal energy technology.”