On the morning of April 28, the award ceremony and opening of the exhibition for Tsinghua University’s 42nd “Challenge Cup” Student Extracurricular Academic and Technological Works Competition were held at the outdoor basketball courts of the North Gymnasium. University leaders Qiu Yong, Li Luming, Yang Bin, Guo Yong, Zheng Li, Xiang Botao, Peng Gang, Jiang Peixue, Xu Qinghong, and Wang Hongwei, along with former leaders Gu Binglin, Yang Jiaqing, Hu Xianzhang, Zhang Zaixing, and Sun Daoxiang, as well as Feng Huadong, Deputy Head of the Youth Development Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, and Li Jianzhong, Deputy Secretary of the Beijing Youth League Committee, attended the event.

Award Ceremony of the “Challenge Cup”

At the award ceremony, the project “Flexible Control Technology for Air Conditioning Load Based on Virtual Power Plant,” completed by a team of undergraduates from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Electronics (EEA) and Weiyang College, won the Grand Prize. The team members include Shen Yan and Lu Ran from EEA, and Li Dongrui, Luo Aijia, and Su Lingjun from Weiyang College. Their advisor, Professor Chen Qixin, was granted the “Outstanding Technological Innovation Advisor.” This year’s “Challenge Cup” had 329 entries, with only 6 winning the Grand Prize. This project was the sole Grand Prize winner in the energy and chemical engineering track.

Diagram of Flexible Control of Air Conditioning Load

The award-winning project focuses on managing power demand by using a virtual power plant to aggregate large-scale air conditioning loads. It utilizes advanced information and communication technology to control the power of air conditioning clusters, ensuring the safe operation of the power grid. The project addresses issues such as user unawareness, uncontrollability, and unwillingness to adjust their air conditioning loads by proposing precise, intelligent, and economical control technologies. The research revolves around key issues like cloud-edge-end collaborative control and profit distribution in virtual power plants, resulting in multiple achievements, including two international conference papers. These outcomes effectively support power security, incentivize user participation, and promote green electricity usage. The project’s results are expected to be applied to flexible power demand management on Tsinghua’s campus, supporting the goal of campus carbon neutrality.

Award winners of the Grand Prize

Award winners of Outstanding Technological Innovation Advisor

After the opening ceremony, university leaders and guests toured the “Challenge Cup” technology exhibition. Shen Yan, representing the team, introduced the core content of the award-winning project and discussed its innovation and application prospects with the leaders and guests.

Shen Yan Participating in the Final Defense of the “Challenge Cup”

Additionally, on the day of the exhibition opening, team members Luo Aijia and Su Lingjun attended the 7th International Conference on Energy, Electrical, and Power Engineering (CEEPE 2024) in Yangzhou. They presented two academic papers related to their “Challenge Cup” project, sharing and discussing the core research results with attending experts and scholars, and won the Best Oral Presentation Award.

Luo Aijia and Su Lingjun Presenting at CEEPE 2024

EEA has long emphasized cultivating students’ technological innovation capabilities, implementing collaborative education between the department and colleges, and fostering an atmosphere of technological innovation through SRT projects, personalized “Pioneer” plans, and competition-based learning. The five authors of this Grand Prize-winning project are from EEA and Weiyang College’s electrical engineering program. Before participating in the “Challenge Cup,” they underwent six months of SRT training in the Energy Intelligentization Lab (EILAB) of EEA, supervised by Professor Chen Qixin and Assistant Researcher Guo Hongye, with PhD students Lü Ruike and Liu Jinyu serving as teaching assistants.

SRT Team Discussing at Tsinghua Sichuan Energy Internet Research Institute

SRT Team Group Photo

Introduction to Tsinghua University’s “Challenge Cup”

The “Challenge Cup” student extracurricular academic and technological works competition at Tsinghua University, initiated in 1983, has now been held 42 times. It is the university’s longest-running, largest, and highest-level comprehensive student academic and technological competition. Since its inception, the competition has adhered to the principles of “respecting science, pursuing truth, encouraging innovation, and embracing challenges,” aiming to cultivate students’ technological innovation abilities.

This year’s “Challenge Cup,” which started in the fall semester, received 329 entries. After initial and secondary reviews by departments, 177 projects advanced to the university-level finals. The finals consisted of written evaluations and defenses. Based on a 30% written and 70% defense score weighting, 116 awards were given: 6 Grand Prizes, 12 First Prizes, 32 Second Prizes, and 66 Third Prizes.