Sungrow's David Zhao Outlines 10 Technology Trends Shaping the Convergence of Clean Energy and AI

China's installed solar PV capacity had reached 1,286 GW by mid-year, surpassing coal-fired power for the first time to become the country's largest source of installed generation capacity. By comparison, global installed electrochemical energy storage capacity currently stands at 700 GWh.

David Zhao, Senior Vice President and Chief Scientist of Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd., delivered a keynote in Hangzhou, China, on September 23 outlining 10 technology trends shaping the convergence of clean energy and AI. According to Sungrow, national policy calls for new data centers at designated computing hubs to source more than 80% of their electricity from renewables.

Zhao said direct renewable power supply could help secure electricity prices of RMB 0.2-0.3 per kWh. He identified four engineering barriers to applying AI to power electronics: insufficient real-world fault data, limits on AI for microsecond-level control, model-extrapolation risks, and a lack of industry standards.

An 800V DC architecture is emerging as a new power-supply standard for AI computing centers, with systems targeting end-to-end efficiency above 94%. Solid-state transformers can reduce footprint by 30% and weight by 50%, according to Sungrow. The presentation said 2027 could mark the start of commercial deployment for the technology.

Zhao forecast that grid-forming converters will achieve a penetration rate above 40% by 2028. He said green hydrogen could enable seasonal energy storage. Energy management systems would coordinate resources across three timescales, ranging from milliseconds to seasons.