China Launches First AI for Large-Scale Clean Energy Base

China on Thursday launched its first artificial intelligence (AI) smart operation model for an integrated hydro, wind, and solar energy base with a capacity of 10 million kilowatts, marking a new step in the application of AI for large-scale clean energy base operations. Developed by the Yalong River Hydropower Development Company, Ltd. for the Yalong River basin in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, the model supports forecasting, power system operation scheduling, and electricity market trading for the coordinated management of hydro, wind, and solar resources. The model is built on domestic computing infrastructure and supported by China’s first high-altitude, cave-based intelligent computing centre. According to the developer, it extends the effective forecasting period for river flows from approximately 10 days to 60 days, enables real-time reservoir operation adjustments, and achieves a fault identification accuracy rate exceeding 96 percent for photovoltaic equipment. Chen Deliang, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, stated that the model links resource forecasting with power operation decisions, helping to shift energy management from reactive adjustments to scientific prediction. The Yalong River basin is one of China’s largest clean energy bases, with total installed clean energy capacity projected to reach 78 million kilowatts by 2035. Zhao Zenghai, vice president of the China Renewable Energy Engineering Institute, noted that the model creates the first full-chain intelligent solution specifically designed for a 10-million-kilowatt-class clean energy base, providing a replicable pathway for similar projects and highlighting AI’s growing role in China’s green energy transition. The launch follows China’s release of 51 high-value ‘AI plus energy’ application scenarios in May, underscoring the country’s broader push to integrate AI into the energy sector. Amid profound changes in the global energy landscape, experts say deeper AI-energy integration is key to improving energy system resilience and efficiency, bearing significant implications for China’s development, industrial competitiveness, and energy security.