MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ –The names of the laureates of the Global Energy Prize 2026 were announced at the plenary session of the Oil Summit of the Republic of Tatarstan. This year’s winners are two scientists from the United States and a researcher from Switzerland.
2026 Global Energy Prize laureates
In the “Traditional Energy” nomination, the prize was awarded to Yilu Liu, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Tennessee, for the creation of large-scale systems for monitoring, control and situational observation of smart grids.
In the “Non-Traditional Energy” nomination, the prize was awarded to Yushan Yan, Director of the Center for Clean Hydrogen at the University of Delaware, for forward-looking ideas and work facilitating clean hydrogen production technology and progress in transforming this technology into a global commercial project.
In the “New Ways of Energy Application” nomination, the prize was awarded to Johann W. Kolar, Professor Emeritus at the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, ETH Zurich, for breakthrough advancement in energy conversion technology to drive energy efficiency, electric mobility, and renewable energy systems.
The winners were selected by the Global Energy Prize International Award Committee, which comprises leading global energy experts. This year 15 finalists represented nine countries worldwide. In addition to the United States and Switzerland, the shortlist included scientists from Chile, China, Cyprus, India, Mexico, Russia and the United Kingdom.
“On behalf of the International Committee, I sincerely congratulate this year’s laureates. Selecting winners is never easy, especially when it comes to research of such high calibre. The work they have accomplished is distinguished not only by its scientific novelty, but also by the fact that their ideas have already found practical application and are helping to solve real-world challenges in global energy. I would like to thank all the scientists whose research was submitted for the prize, the organisations that nominated candidates, and our colleagues from around the world who continue to advance science by uniting knowledge and experience for the sake of our common future. It is through this collaboration that discoveries capable of changing the lives of millions of people emerge,” said Rae Kwon Chung, Chairman of the International Award Committee, in his congratulatory address.
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