Why we can’t just wait for AI to solve the energy transition

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Working backwards from the goals of the energy transition, we need power systems that are flexible. Self-healing. Systems that bend, not break under the dynamics of ever-changing power sources and uses.

It should be ready to deal with the known unknowns: situations and technologies not yet invented that may come with yet unseen power profiles.

A truly future-proof, resilient grid will therefore be able to sense, decide, and act at the speed of light to keep the lights on.

Intelligence is a component of this, but it is not the bottleneck today.

AI’s strength lies in processing a great deal of data and identifying patterns. It could therefore help with asset management and planning, even grid mapping through tools like computer vision and drones to support better design. But it could be game-changing for optimizing dispatch, relieving congestion and orchestrating flexibility across the system. In other words, the decision-making component.

However, without the complementary sensing and control built into the system it will be fundamentally limited to identifying opportunity and never actually delivering it.

We need to upgrade today’s power system with physical solutions to allow AI to act as a value multiplier.

Source: Geographies of Cooperation Atlas