LONDON, February 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Lei Zhang, founder and CEO of Envision, has been named the recipient of the Energy Institute’s 2026 President’s Award. In awarding Zhang its highest honor, the Institute highlighted Envision’s role in shaping the global energy transition to drive long-term economic growth and prosperity while accelerating decarbonization.
In recognizing Zhang, the Energy Institute highlighted his position as a thought leader who has consistently framed the energy transition as a systemic challenge – and an economic opportunity – rather than a constraint. Its work has been cited for advancing industry standards, supporting skills and education, and promoting long-term thinking about how energy systems can better serve societies and economies.
This award also marks a landmark moment for the private sector. Zhang is the first entrepreneur and business leader to receive the President’s Award, following previous winners largely from government, diplomacy and international organizations.
Energy Institute President Andy Brown commented:
“The President’s Award is the Energy Institute’s highest honor, given to individuals whose achievements have had a transformative impact on global energy. Lei’s vision and leadership have made him one of the world’s leading energy leaders. Through Envision, it shapes the AI energy system by providing an infinite, intelligent and affordable foundation for everyone.
The Institute said the award reflects a growing recognition that achieving net zero will depend not only on policy, but also on businesses able to build and operate the digital infrastructure and systems that make the transition investable and sustainable despite existing challenges.
In accepting the award, Zhang said the world was at a pivotal moment as technology has driven down the costs of renewable energy to the point where it can be both affordable and abundant. Although skepticism remains, it has drawn a historical parallel to the 13th century, when paper was considered an inferior alternative to parchment, until its affordability broke the monopoly on knowledge and opened access to the masses.
Zhang expressed optimism about the future of humanity, saying “The age of fossil fuels will be over. What comes next is not just a new energy system, but a new horizon for humanity. When energy becomes abundant and accessible, as paper once was for knowledge, it will unlock intelligence, it will restore dignity, it will reshape cooperation. That is how we will create a new prosperity for civilization.”
Zhang is an influential voice in the international energy and climate spheres. He co-founded the Global School of Sustainability with the London School of Economics and was named one of the “100 Most Influential Climate Leaders of 2025” by TIME.
Professor Nicholas Stern, President of the Global School of Sustainability, said::
“Sustainable development is the only path to strong, secure growth. Sustainability is the new prosperity. Lei’s commitment to harnessing technology to address humanity’s common energy challenges, along with his extraordinary creativity and dynamism, provide a powerful example of the type of leadership we need as we accelerate the pace of change across the world.”
Founded in 2007, Envision has built its strategy around the idea that clean energy is not only an environmental imperative, but also the foundation of new economic opportunities. It recently announced the global launch of Dubhe, a revolutionary energy foundation model that will enable energy systems to evolve at the pace of AI, thereby shaping the AI energy system.
The Energy Institute (EI) is the accredited professional body for people working in the energy world. Their goal is to create a better energy future by accelerating a just global transition to net zero emissions. International Energy Week, organized by EI, brings together policy makers, industry leaders and experts each year in London.
Below is the full text of the speech:
Creating a new prosperity for civilization
I am deeply honored to receive this award. This is not only a recognition of my team and me, but also an affirmation of our shared vision – the vision of creating a new prosperity for civilization.
We are at a pivotal moment in the development of civilization. Artificial intelligence is leading humanity into a new era of energy demand. Over the next 50 years, global electricity demand could increase tenfold. Just like no one could predict a hundredfold increase in energy before the invention of the steam engine.
At the same time, the climate crisis is intensifying. With limited reserves of fossil fuels, we must face a fundamental question:
How can we maintain the long-term prosperity of civilization?
This urgency drives us to build a new energy foundation – a system with three key pillars: Infinite, Intelligent and Inexpensive.
It is encouraging to see this vision becoming a reality. Formerly expensive renewable energy has now overtaken fossil fuels in terms of cost competition. Through large-scale innovation, China has helped reduce the global costs of wind, solar and energy storage by around 90%, making renewable energy affordable.
But progress comes with doubts. Some people confuse “abundance” and “overcapacity”. Others view “affordability” with suspicion.
This reminds me of a misunderstanding from a thousand years ago. In the 13th century, when Chinese papermaking technology reached Europe, paper was dismissed as a “cheap and flimsy” substitute for parchment. Emperor Frederick II even declared documents written on paper invalid. For the elites of the time, cheap paper did not have the dignity of expensive parchment.
And yet, it is precisely this accessibility – this “cheapness” itself – that has broken the monopoly of knowledge. This gave ordinary people access to knowledge and ultimately helped spark the Renaissance.
History teaches us that civilization advances through abundance and accessibility. Today, this abundance lays the foundations for a new energy system.
This will unlock the full potential of AI, pushing the upper limits of civilization. A tenfold increase in energy demand is not a burden: it is food for computing evolution. Without abundant and intelligent energy, the AI flower cannot fully bloom.
It will also defend the dignity of humanity and protect the foundations of civilization. In Africa, off-grid systems are lighting isolated villages for the first time. In Pakistan, solar panels have become one of the most valuable wedding gifts. In the Middle East, affordable electricity enables desalination that transforms desert into agricultural land. In the remote mountains of Southeast Asia, wind-powered base stations connect children to global knowledge.
Humanity will move from competing for limited resources to co-developing the infinite flows of nature – building a new civilization rooted in cooperation.
The era of fossil fuels will be over. What arises next is not just a new energy system, but a new horizon for humanity. When energy becomes abundant and accessible – like paper once was for knowledge
This will unlock intelligence.
This will restore dignity.
This will reshape cooperation.
This is how we will create new prosperity for civilization.
– END –
SOURCE Envision Energy
