Details

Electricity is the product of human's pursuit of light. The application of electric energy launched a new era of evolution in the human civilization evolution. Electric energy is the most important form of end-use energy for human beings today. The understanding, mastery and use of electric energy are a milestone marking human society's shift from the industrial civilization to the electrified civilization. Only by transforming into electricity can clean energy such as hydro, wind and solar energy be developed and utilized extensively. Electricity is set to become the core of future clean energy systems. Electricity is also a medium of mutual transformation between different types of energy. It can be infinitely divided, instantly transmitted and controlled with precision. It can also be efficiently converted into other forms of energy (e.g., luminous energy, thermal energy, mechanical energy and chemical energy) for use. Today, electric energy has extensively and profoundly changed human production and life. It has become as indispensable as sunshine, air and water. As sources of fossil energy continue to decline, climate change situations deteriorate considerably, and environmental pollution intensifies, the human race is making greater demands on reliable, environmentally friendly and sustainable energy use. What is most critical is clean substitution at the energy production side, and electricity substitution at the energy consumption side.
Advancement in electrification technology is crucial to achieving electricity substitution at the consumption side. As it evolves going forward, the traditional electric usage bottlenecks will be broken, and electricity substitution, indirect electricity substitution (power to fuel) and non-energy application of electricity (power to raw material) will take shape, expediting the formation of a clean and efficient electricity-centered energy services system. After more than a century of development, electrification technologies have achieved tremendous progress. At present, technologies such as electric lighting, electric drive and electrification technology in IT are well-established and widely applied while electric heating and electrochemistry have considerable potential for electricity substitution.