The academic history of the School of Energy Science and Engineering at Central South University dates back to 1952. It originated from disciplines such as Metallurgical Thermal Energy and Thermal Instrumentation & Control at the former Central South University of Technology, as well as Vehicle Refrigeration & Cold Chain Transportation and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) at the former Changsha Railway Institute. In 2002, the School of Energy and Power Engineering was established, and in 2005, it was renamed the School of Energy Science and Engineering.
The school currently comprises five teaching units: the Department of Engineering Thermophysics and Automation, the Department of Thermal Energy Engineering, the Department of Power Machinery and Engineering, the Department of Refrigeration and Artificial Environment, and the Department of New Energy Science and Engineering, as well as one Experimental Center. It hosts a range of research and social service platforms, including:
· The National and Local Joint Engineering Center for Intelligent Integrated Energy Efficiency Management Technology (co-constructed);
· The Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Energy Efficiency in Process Industries;
· The Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Clean and Low-Carbon Energy Technology;
· The Hunan Energy Conservation Evaluation Technology Research Center;
· The Hunan Provincial Geothermal Heat Pump Engineering Technology Research Center (co-constructed);
· The Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Energy Big Data (co-constructed);
· The Collaborative Innovation Center for Building Energy Efficiency and Environmental Control Key Technologies (co-constructed);
· The Hunan Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Clean and Low-Carbon Utilization of Combustible Wastes (co-constructed);
· The Hunan Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Geology and New Energy Exploration (co-constructed);
· The Guangxi Biochar-Based Energy Storage Materials Technology Transfer Demonstration Base;
· The Special Power Supply Technology Joint Laboratory of the Space Power National Key Laboratory Branch.
Seven research teams have been established, focusing on: Clean and Low-Carbon Energy, Carbon Neutrality, Thermal Science, Advanced Power Systems, Renewable Energy, Industrial Furnaces, and Artificial Environments.
As of April 2026, the school has 95 faculty members, including 75 full-time teachers (24 professors, 38 associate professors, and 29 doctoral supervisors). It includes 5 national-level high-level talents and over 30 provincial and ministerial-level talents.
The school offers three undergraduate programs—Energy and Power Engineering, Architectural Environment and Energy Application Engineering, and New Energy Science and Engineering—all of which are nationally recognized first-tier undergraduate programs. It has:
· A first-level doctoral program in Energy and Power Engineering and Engineering Thermophysics (a first-level key discipline in Hunan Province, encompassing six second-level disciplines: Engineering Thermophysics, Thermal Energy Engineering, Power Machinery and Engineering, Refrigeration and Cryogenics, New Energy Science and Engineering, and Energy System Engineering);
· A second-level doctoral program in Heating, Gas Supply, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Engineering (a national key discipline);
· Doctoral programs in Energy and Power Engineering and Transportation Engineering (professional degrees);
· Postdoctoral research stations at both first-level (Energy and Power Engineering and Engineering Thermophysics) and second-level (Heating, Gas Supply, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Engineering) disciplines.
The school has over 1,000 undergraduate students and more than 360 master's and doctoral students.
The school focuses on cutting-edge and original research in smart energy, new energy storage, green hydrogen, special energy applications, and carbon neutrality technologies. It has won two national science and technology progress awards and over 20 provincial and ministerial-level awards. In the past five years, it has led six national key projects and secured 50 National Natural Science Foundation projects, with a total research funding of nearly RMB 200 million. It has published 1,030 high-impact academic papers (including 13 Nature Index (NI) papers and 79 ESI highly cited papers) and been granted 181 invention patents, making significant contributions to national and regional socio-economic development and technological progress in the energy sector.
Guided by the university's motto of "Integrating Knowledge and Action for Practical Application", the school prioritizes moral education and talent cultivation. In the past five years, students have excelled in high-level scientific competitions, winning over 240 national and provincial awards in events such as the "Challenge Cup" National College Students' Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Works Competition, the National College Students' Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction Competition, and the National Renewable Energy Competition, with over 810 participants. Undergraduate students have applied for 11+ invention patents, 24+ utility model patents, 7+ software copyrights, and published 40+ high-level research papers.
Standing at a new starting point, the school is committed to building a world-class energy discipline system with Central South University's unique characteristics, establishing itself as a hub for cultivating high-quality energy talents with both virtue and competence, and becoming a leading academic institution for foundational and applied energy research. By adhering to its mission of nurturing virtue and fostering talent, the school will accelerate its path of connotative development, advance high-quality disciplinary construction, and strive to become a dream academic sanctuary for students and scholars. In the broader context of the "Double First-Class" initiative, the school aims to write a remarkable chapter in Central South University's energy endeavors.
