NEW YORK - September 25, 2026 - The United Nations Global Compact Leaders Summit was held in New York from Sept. 22 to 23. During a thematic session on “Collective Action and Systems Change,” a sustainable development project team from State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) took the stage as the only Chinese representative and one of five global finalists, alongside teams from the United Kingdom, Ghana, Nigeria and other countries.
The team presented its innovative solution, “AI for Good: Chasing the Light, Seeking the Carbon — Teaching the Grid to See,” which received positive feedback from judges and participants at the summit.
The presentation marked the first appearance of an AI innovation project from China at the summit, demonstrating how Chinese enterprises are contributing practical solutions to global sustainable development. Deidre Steingard, Head of the Principles for Responsible Management Education at the UN Global Compact, commented: “State Grid’s project concept is outstanding and has the potential to be deployed at scale. Both continuous, reliable power supply and energy-saving and carbon-reduction capabilities are urgently needed by power grid companies around the world today.”
The UN Global Compact Leaders Summit is the organization’s flagship annual gathering, bringing together leaders of UN agencies as well as global business leaders and experts to help translate sustainable development commitments into coordinated action. The SDG Innovation Accelerator is a global innovation program developed by the UN Global Compact for young professionals at participating companies.
In 2026, 49 companies participated in the program in China. After taking first place in the China round, the innovation team from State Grid Hangzhou Power Supply Company advanced to the global online showcase, where it presented alongside winning teams from 22 countries and regions. The team ultimately reached the global top five, earning the opportunity to present its solution at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit.
Based in Hangzhou, a city known for its dynamic innovation ecosystem, the team behind “Chasing the Light, Seeking the Carbon — Teaching the Grid to See” focused on two challenges facing more than 13,000 technology and innovation companies in the city: uninterrupted, reliable electricity for manufacturers using high-precision equipment, and access to cleaner, lower-carbon electricity to support expansion into overseas markets.
“In Hangzhou, nearly 80% of the economic value generated by each kilowatt-hour of electricity is concentrated in clusters of ‘new quality productive forces,’ including artificial intelligence and visual intelligence companies, most of which are small and medium-sized enterprises in the start-up stage,” said team member Fang Xiang. “To provide affordable clean energy, support industrial innovation and infrastructure development, and contribute to sustainable cities and communities, we decided to use AI to make the power supply system smarter.”
The innovation team at State Grid Hangzhou Power Supply Company uses “Guangqing,” an AI super-agent for the power grid, to analyze the complex grid of a megacity in real time. Based on this technology, the team developed an “AI Service Package” tailored to technology companies, offering two services free of charge: Powertrace, which traces electricity supply paths, and Carbonseek, which tracks carbon emissions throughout the process. Together, they function like two “eyes” — one watching electricity and the other tracking carbon.
Powertrace is designed to identify potential problems within the grid. It conducts real-time assessments of 9,517 transmission and distribution lines and 503 substations across Hangzhou. Risks such as grid abnormalities, voltage disturbances and equipment overload affecting individual companies can be identified within seconds, while precise dispatching strategies can be generated within one minute.
By addressing potential issues before failures occur, the system helps provide businesses with power supply reliability exceeding 99.999%, while average annual outage duration per customer has fallen to 3.15 minutes, reaching a globally advanced level.
“Our other AI ‘eye’ focuses on identifying where a company’s carbon emissions come from, where energy is being consumed and how emissions can be reduced,” said team member Wang Yi.
Carbonseek can calculate a start-up’s carbon emissions by hour and location based directly on its electricity consumption, develop targeted emissions-reduction plans, and help manufacturers schedule production during periods when electricity is cleanest and has the lowest carbon intensity.
To date, the project has served 56 technology start-ups in Hangzhou and helped some smart manufacturing companies reduce their product carbon footprints by 6.6%. By the end of this year, the team plans to reach at least 10% of Hangzhou’s technology start-ups and aims to expand the service to 30,000 small and medium-sized enterprises across China within one year. Over the longer term, the team plans to develop an open-source toolkit that can make the solution available to SMEs worldwide.
Bruna Elias, Senior Manager of the UN Global Compact’s SDG Innovation Accelerator, commented: “This is a solution that can work not only in China, but can also be scaled globally, with strong potential to become an impactful outcome. I hope you can find more partners and stakeholders around the world to advance it together.”
Maya Kobalia, recognized as a 2026 Woman Leader of the Year by the European Business Association and Head of Environmental and Social Development at Georgia’s Micro Crystal Bank, said: “The Chinese team has explored and tested many applications of AI in the green energy sector and has developed its own business exploration model. The team’s mascot is also very appealing and reflects creative thinking, communicating green and low-carbon concepts to the public in a vivid and approachable way.”
Juliet Makafui Gabat, a presenter from the Ghanaian team participating in the same showcase, said: “The project you have developed is impressive. Combining AI with the power grid is a highly promising innovation. Many parts of Africa face challenges in securing a stable supply of green electricity, and your project offers a practical solution for climate action. We share a common vision of building a greener future and look forward to exploring cooperation to bring this technology to Africa and more regions.”
At the summit, innovators from State Grid Hangzhou Power Supply Company also served as volunteers for State Grid’s green and low-carbon brand initiative, “Green Electricity TO.” They introduced participants to State Grid’s “Green Electricity Ark — Protecting a Beautiful Planet Where All Life Thrives” handbook and State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power’s “Collection of Innovative Cases in Support of Climate Governance.” The team also distributed “Green Electricity TO” creative merchandise and shared State Grid’s practices in advancing green and sustainable development in support of China’s dual-carbon goals.
(Correspondents: Fu Cenying, Luo Zhen, Xu Zimu)
About State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Co., Ltd.
State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Co., Ltd. is a subsidiary of State Grid Corporation of China responsible for power grid development, operation and electricity services across Zhejiang Province. The company is committed to ensuring a safe, reliable and efficient power supply while advancing grid modernization, clean energy integration and green, low-carbon development. Through continuous improvements in power infrastructure and energy services, it supports economic growth, industrial transformation and the high-quality development of businesses and communities throughout Zhejiang.
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