Energy lies at the core of a double challenge: leaving no one behind and protecting the Planet. And clean energy is crucial to its solution.

In a world grappling with climate change, clean energy plays a vital role in reducing emissions, and can also benefit communities lacking access to reliable power sources.

The International Day of Clean Energy on 26 January was declared by the General Assembly (resolution A/77/327) of the United Nations as a call to raise awareness and mobilize action for a just and inclusive transition to clean energy for the benefit of people and the planet.

This year's theme is Clean Energy for People and Planet. Tailored Meteorological services have also played an important role in promoting the sustainable development of the clean energy development.On this special day, let’s delve into the tailored services delivered by Shaanxi Provincial Meteorological Service (hereinafter referred to the Service) to empower the clean energy development.

January 9 saw a regional sand and dust event moved across Shaanxi. A day before its “arrival”, State Grid Shaanxi Electric Power Company had received a refined station-level sand and dust risk forecast and a regional assessment report from the meteorological department. Real-time rolling Air Quality Index (AQI) and multiple issues of Sand and Dust High-Impact Weather Analysis were directly delivered to the dispatch centre. On the daytime of January 9, sandstorms hit many areas in northern Shaanxi – yet the power grid had adjusted its operation mode in advance based on accurate forecasts, effectively safeguarding facility safety and power supply stability. This successful response is a microcosm of Shaanxi's meteorological services being deeply integrated into the energy security chain.

Shaanxi New Energy Meteorological Service System Source: Shaanxi Provincial Meteorological Service

Shaanxi is a major energy base in China. Over the past year, the Service has driven progress through a dual engine of technological breakthroughs and management innovation, deeply integrating precise monitoring, accurate forecasting and tailored services into the entire energy chain of production, transmission, storage and consumption. It has blazed a new path for safeguarding the high-quality development of energy with high-level meteorological safety.

Extreme weather poses the most direct threat to energy security. In March 2025, a severe rain, snow and freezing weather event battered the province. A full 36 hours before the weather hit, targeted and precise service bulletins titled Prediction and Analysis of Ice and Snow Accumulation in Shaanxi were delivered to decision-making departments at all levels. These bulletins not only predicted the weather trend, but also clearly identified the high-risk time periods and areas for ice accumulation at some wind farms in northern Shaanxi and western Guanzhong region, among other regions.

Shaanxi meteorological departments have harnessed snow and sand coverage records at the station along with meteorological observation data, constructing a snow depth prediction model based on photovoltaic power stations, serving grid dispatch.

During the event, 82 wind farms across the province experienced icing, with 28 forced to shut down entirely. Thanks to early warnings and accurate forecasts, power grid enterprises were able to adjust their operation modes in advance, averting the occurrence of systemic risks.

To tackle the challenge of forecasting wind turbine icing, Shaanxi's meteorological departments installed observation equipment on 100-meter-tall wind turbine towers during the depth of winter, capturing valuable minute-scale real-time data on icing processes. The risk prediction model developed from this data has seen its accuracy improve by more than 18% compared with traditional methods.

For hazards such as photovoltaic panel snow cover, sand and dust storms, and lightning, a series of special forecasting service products have also been put into regular operation, equipping safe energy production with a "forward-looking radar".

Yulin Dingbian Wind Farm conducted an icing observation test on wind turbines, performing real-time monitoring at the hub height.

The energy industry has an inherent dependence on meteorology, yet long-standing industry barriers have hindered the effective integration of meteorological and energy data.

"In the past, we lacked the operational data of power stations, making it impossible to deliver targeted forecasts. For their part, energy companies often complained that meteorological information was not sufficient enough to meet their practical needs," admitted YANG Xiaochun, Deputy Director of Shaanxi Provincial Meteorological Service Centre.

To address this situation, the Service has taken proactive steps like collaborating with the provincial Development and Reform Commission, Energy Bureau and other departments to innovatively establish a coordinated mechanism for the exploration of wind and solar energy resources. It has also promoted the submission of observation data by 387 energy enterprises according to the law. Meanwhile, the Service compiled China's first Guidelines for the Construction of an Energy Meteorological Standard System, launched the construction of meteorological standard stations at new energy sites, and completed quality control and grading assessments for 573 new energy sites, thus improving data quality at the source.

Yulin has established China's first systematic performance-oriented meteorological service system, providing comprehensive services.

To date, data from more than 2,700 meteorological stations and over 500 new energy sites has been integrated with multi-source information such as satellites and radars, forming a wind and solar energy resource data network covering the entire province with a fine resolution of 1 km.

Wind and solar energy resources are "weather-dependent", and their randomness and volatility pose a major threat to the stable operation of power grids. Improving the accuracy of new energy power generation forecasting is the core priority of the Service's research and development efforts.

The Service has deeply integrated domestic numerical weather prediction (NWP) models with cutting-edge machine learning algorithms such as XGBoost and LightGBM. Tailored to the characteristics of different terrains and various unit models, it has developed a "one site, one strategy" power forecasting model for new energy sites.

Data from State Grid Shaanxi Electric Power Company shows that after the application of this meteorological forecasting service, the number of power grid supply guarantee alerts triggered by wind and solar forecasting errors has plummeted by 77%. A single cold wave alert has reduced emergency peak-shaving costs by 0.9 to 1.1 million yuan, with accumulated economic benefits exceeding 73 million yuan. Accurate meteorological forecasts are being translated into calm and efficient power grid dispatching.

Shaanxi New Energy Meteorological Service System is undergoing trial operation in the business of China Huadian Corporation. Source: Shaanxi Provincial Meteorological Service

The profound value of meteorological services lies in empowering the entire industrial ecosystem.

In 2025, the Service revised and implemented the Shaanxi Provincial Regulations on Meteorological Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, took the lead in compiling China's first Guidelines for the Construction of an Energy Meteorological Standard System, and co-established platforms such as the "Qinchuangyuan · Energy Meteorological Technology Innovation Centre" with the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), local governments, energy enterprises, universities and research institutes.

Shaanxi Yulin Energy Meteorology Observation Station Network Map Source: Shaanxi Provincial Meteorological Service

It also built 4 meteorological service demonstration bases for large energy and chemical enterprises, including China Energy Yulin Chemical and China Coal Yulin Energy and Chemical, promoting the collaborative innovation of industry, academia, research and application.

Over 500 sets of intelligent meteorological service terminals and over 150 enterprise-specific observation stations push customized meteorological risk alerts directly to the mobile phones of production managers.

Currently, the Service has provided "one enterprise, one strategy" service plans for 236 energy enterprises and identified 185 highly sensitive meteorological risk indicators.

In collaboration with Shaanxi Provincial Meteorological Service

Special thanks to MA Nan, QIN Pei, and XIN Bo

Planner/Editor: LIU Shuqiao