Artificial Intelligence Helps Modernise Energy Networks

Artificial intelligence is helping improve renewable energy forecasting and grid management in China, supporting the integration of more clean energy into the electricity system.

“If data centres can, through power purchase agreements and contractual arrangements, promote new investment in wind and solar power and help build their own power supplies, that’s good news for the climate,” said Zhang Shuwei, Chief Economist at the Draworld Centre.

Energy companies and researchers are increasingly using AI to predict renewable electricity generation, improve grid operations and support virtual power plants that coordinate energy demand and supply. AI-powered systems are already being deployed in regions including Shanghai, Xinjiang and Beijing, while data-centre energy storage is helping to reduce pressure during peak-demand periods. China aims to have at least five specialised large language models deeply embedded in the power and energy sectors by 2027. New policies are also encouraging data centres to draw up to 80% of their electricity from renewable sources, helping align the growth of digital infrastructure with the country’s clean-energy transition.