Stanford Energy Science & Engineering Students win 1st place in the "2026 Net-Zero Technology Business Plan Competition"

Academia Sinica Hosts First International Net-Zero Technology Business Plan Competition: Stanford Students Propose Innovative Solutions

Achieving net-zero emissions is a key priority and widely anticipated by Taiwanese society. How to accelerate the broad application of scientific research to society and enhance human well-being has become an important challenge in the next phase of net-zero research.

Academia Sinica, in collaboration with the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, has for the first time organized the “2026 Net-Zero Technology Business Plan Competition." 

Stanford students (the Century EGS team) developed commercialization proposals based on Academia Sinica’s net-zero technologies, using Taiwan’s energy transition as the context. The final round was held at Academia Sinica. All teams performed exceptionally well and were closely matched. Ultimately, CorePower and Century EGS were jointly awarded first place.

CorePower consists of four interdisciplinary undergraduate and master’s students, with backgrounds in sustainability science, civil engineering, and computer science. The team utilized data models from Academia Sinica’s Institute of Earth Sciences to identify energy demands in the semiconductor and manufacturing industries, matched potential business partners among Taiwanese enterprises, and proposed a geothermal development strategy that incorporates local community engagement. The proposal combines innovative thinking with practical feasibility. Century EGS, consisting of three PhD students in energy science, developed an AI-based geothermal risk assessment model to reduce the financial risks of deep geothermal development. By lowering investment uncertainty, the model aims to attract industry funding and accelerate the conversion of geothermal resources into stable baseload power. Both teams focused on geothermal commercialization but proposed distinctly different approaches, earning strong recognition from the judging panel. 

This competition originated from Academia Sinica President James C. Liao’s visit to Stanford University in November 2025, where he exchanged ideas with Professor Arun Majumdar, Dean of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. Both sides promoted the idea of organizing a student competition to combine Stanford’s entrepreneurial culture with Academia Sinica’s research capabilities, thereby creating more opportunities for industry collaboration.

At the award ceremony, President Liao noted that climate change and net-zero emissions are global challenges. In recent years, Academia Sinica has promoted the “five arrows” net-zero initiatives, including methane pyrolysis to power, solar energy, marine turbines, geothermal energy, and biomass carbon sinks. These technologies have demonstrated their potential for industrial application. President Liao also praised the participating students for their curiosity and willingness to engage across disciplines—even in unfamiliar areas. Their spirit of asking questions, challenging one another, and working together to develop actionable solutions is a positive mindset applicable to all fields.

Stanford Students Propose Net-Zero Commercialization Solutions Involving High-Value Carbon Materials and Geothermal Risk Management

Stanford University, located in Silicon Valley, a global hub of innovation, is renowned for its strong entrepreneurial culture and interdisciplinary collaboration. It has long cultivated globally influential technology companies and entrepreneurial talent and is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading innovation ecosystems. Since the competition opened for applications in December 2025, twelve Stanford teams participated. Their expertise spans sustainability and energy, earth sciences, information technology, economics, and management, with participants ranging from undergraduates to PhD students. This demonstrates Stanford students’ ability to collaborate across disciplines and address global challenges.

Of the competition, the Stanford team (Century EGS) said, "We really enjoyed participating in the competition, where we had the chance to explore the implementation of EGS in Taiwan. It was an exciting journey involving technical analysis, formulating a business model, and developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).” 

After intensive preliminary and secondary reviews, four teams were selected to travel to Taiwan for the final round. They presented their proposals to a judging panel drawn from academia, industry, and government, and engaged in in-depth exchanges with Taiwanese venture capital firms and technical teams. They developed market strategies, analyzed investment potential, and proposed business plans based on Academia Sinica’s technologies. Following a comprehensive evaluation, two teams were selected to share first place. CorePower, with its proposal “A 3-stage strategic plan to roll out geothermal in Taiwan,” and Century EGS, with its proposal “AI underwriting for bankable, buildable EGS in Taiwan from public resources.”

The other two teams also presented distinctive proposals. Cleanfield, consisting of three undergraduate and master’s students from the business school, sustainability school, and computer science, proposed using Academia Sinica-developed Napier Grass (L2201) to revitalize 50,000 hectares of fallow farmland in Taiwan, developing biochar and bioenergy. Taiwan Advanced Carbon, consisting of four sophomore students with backgrounds in chemical engineering, economics, and mathematics, proposed converting solid carbon—a byproduct of methane pyrolysis—into silicon carbide (SiC) for semiconductor applications and graphite anodes for batteries, aiming to establish Taiwan’s supply chain autonomy in critical materials. Dr. Yu-Gau Chen, Executive Secretary of the Sustainable Science Center at Academia Sinica and a member of the judging panel, noted that all finalist teams demonstrated strong analytical and innovative capabilities. They not only showed a deep understanding of Taiwan’s energy challenges, but also the ability to translate research outcomes into market-oriented solutions.

Congratulations to the Century EGS Team of Sarah Sausan, Emma Li and Mofopefoluwa Ajani!

The original article was published on the Academia Sinica website. Visit the Academia Sinica website to read the full article: Academia Sinica-Academia Sinica held the first transnational net-zero technology business plan competition Stanford students' proposals stimulate innovative thinking

Learn more about the Stanford Geothermal Program: https://geothermal.stanford.edu/