Renewable Energy‑Driven Data Center “Computing‑Power–Electricity” Optimized Scheduling Pilot in China

Alibaba and North China Electric Power University launched a trial project that participated in the North China power‑peak auxiliary service market, aiming to drive renewable‑energy consumption through coordinated scheduling of data‑center computing resources.

The experiment transferred part of the computing load from Alibaba's data center in Nantong, Jiangsu, to the Zhangbei data center in Hebei, marking the world’s first cross‑regional “computing‑power–electricity” optimization scheduling verification and the first such demonstration in China.

Multiple Alibaba services, such as Taobao search and recommendation, were migrated using Alibaba Cloud’s scheduling system. During the test, the load at the Nantong facility decreased by about 100 kW, roughly 150 kWh of electricity was shifted to Zhangbei, resulting in an estimated CO₂ reduction of 120 kg, with scheduling response times kept at the millisecond level.

The initiative aligns with several national policies, including the 2021 “National Integrated Big Data Center Collaborative Innovation System” plan, the central government’s carbon‑peak and carbon‑neutral directives, and the 14th Five‑Year Digital Economy Development Plan, all of which call for improved cross‑regional computing resource scheduling and higher renewable energy utilization in data centers.

Collaborative scheduling of computing and power systems means using electricity market signals to flexibly adjust the timing and location of compute workloads, thereby enhancing grid flexibility, lowering data‑center energy costs, and reducing carbon emissions.

This experiment demonstrates a practical approach to implementing national green‑energy goals, and both parties intend to continue research and application of “computing‑power–electricity” optimized scheduling to support high‑quality, low‑carbon development of the data‑center industry.