XAUAT News Network —From August 13 to 15, the 22nd International Conference on Sustainable Energy Technologies (SET2026) was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. During the conference, the World Society of Sustainable Energy Technologies (WSSET) presented the WSSET Innovation Awards, with Prof. Li Angui of Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology (XAUAT) receiving the award for his work on Low-Resistance Air Distribution and HVAC Transport Technologies. He was also invited to deliver a keynote address at the conference.
This marks the second time that Prof. Li and his team have received this prestigious international honour, following their first WSSET Innovation Award in 2019 for their work on Boundary-Layer Ventilation Theory and Technologies.
Over the past two decades, Prof. Li’s team has conducted extensive research into pressure losses in key fittings and long straight ducts and pipelines used in ventilation, air-conditioning, and water distribution systems in both above-ground and underground buildings. Their research has focused on vortex dissipation and flow resistance reduction, flow-field optimization, and the development of ultra-low-resistance components, leading to a comprehensive body of theories, design methodologies, and integrated technologies for reducing flow resistance in HVAC distribution systems. The team’s innovative theories and technologies for energy saving and flow-resistance reduction have been widely applied in ventilation and air-conditioning systems in **industrial facilities, transportation infrastructure, and large public buildings**, delivering significant energy-saving and carbon-reduction benefits. The technologies have also been included in the Catalogue of National Key Low-Carbon Technologies for Promotion and Application, jointly issued by five national ministries and commissions, including the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. With the goal of reducing energy consumption in HVAC distribution systems, the team’s flow-resistance reduction technologies can substantially reduce local and frictional pressure losses in duct and pipe networks, thereby lowering the energy consumption of fans and pumps and improving overall system efficiency. The technologies are also readily applicable to energy and power engineering, prefabricated buildings, and energy-efficiency retrofits of existing buildings and infrastructure. Their application can significantly reduce the operating electricity costs and carbon emissions of ventilation and air-conditioning systems, contributing to the low-carbon development of the building sector.
The WSSET Innovation Awards, established by the World Society of Sustainable Energy Technologies, recognize significant innovative achievements in areas including renewable energy systems, photovoltaic technologies, low-carbon buildings, and future cities. The awards recognize outstanding achievements by individuals and organizations in the development of emerging sustainable technologies, while promoting and encouraging the dissemination and application of innovative technologies.
Headquartered at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, WSSET is chaired by Prof. Saffa Riffat, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences, and Director of the Institute of Sustainable Energy Technologies at the University of Nottingham. Lord Prescott, former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, serves as Honorary President.
