Home-Grown Smart Technologies Drive China’s Clean Energy Transition 

From Siti Zanariah Nor Zin

BEIJING (China), June 24 (Bernama) -- From wall-climbing robots inspecting wind turbines to artificial intelligence (AI)-powered renewable energy forecasting platforms, China is increasingly harnessing home-grown smart technologies to enhance the efficiency, reliability and long-term security of its power sector.

The technologies were among the innovations showcased to visiting journalists, including a representative from Bernama, during a visit to China Datang Corporation Ltd, one of China's major state-owned energy enterprises, as part of the China International Press Communication Centre (CIPCC) fellowship programme.

Company officials demonstrated intelligent inspection tools designed to reduce risks in high-risk working environments, including underwater robots, quadruped robot dogs, automatic inspection drones and “Zhijian No.1”, China’s first wall-climbing robot developed for wind turbine weld inspections.

“These technologies help replace manual inspections in hazardous locations while improving maintenance efficiency and workplace safety,” an official told the visiting delegation on Tuesday.

At the centre of the company’s efforts is the Gaojing Research and Development (R&D) Office of the China Datang Science and Technology General Research Institute, which has played a key role in developing technologies to improve the efficiency and reliability of renewable energy systems.

Among the innovations were the self-developed “Zhuoxi” wind turbine control system, an AI-powered forecasting platform that integrates data from wind and solar farms to improve renewable energy output predictions, as well as digital simulation technologies used to optimise large-scale clean energy projects.

According to company officials, China Datang's total installed power generation capacity reached 214 gigawatts (GW) by the end of 2025, with clean energy accounting for 51.21 per cent of the total.

Datang International Gaojing Gas Thermal Power Plant, a key facility supporting Beijing's electricity supply and winter heating services, uses gas-steam combined cycle power generation technology and a closed-loop recycled water system to operate with lower energy consumption and emissions than conventional coal-fired power plants.

Company officials said China Datang currently supplies about 50 per cent of Beijing's electricity, with green energy accounting for around 11 per cent of the capital's total power supply.

Journalists were also shown the plant’s Zero-Carbon Heating Centre, a waste heat recovery project that uses low-temperature heat exchange technology and large waste heat pumps to recover heat from flue gas for urban heating.

According to the company, the project provides an additional clean heating capacity of 1.59 million gigajoules annually, saves 47.39 million cubic metres of natural gas and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by about 85,000 tonnes each year.

China Datang said it will continue expanding its clean energy capacity and advance the development of energy storage and hydrogen industries as part of efforts to support China’s green transition and energy security goals.

(The writer is a journalist with the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) and the sole Malaysian media representative selected to participate in the three-month China International Press Communication Centre (CIPCC) fellowship programme organised by the China Public Diplomacy Association.)

-- BERNAMA