Artificial Intelligence is currently playing a key role in the transformation of the energy model. It allows us to do something that we are not capable of doing: to handle large amounts of data, which must also be processed in a logical and reasonable way. And in the field of energy in particular?
ENERGY SECTOR HARNESSES THE POTENTIAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
We are currently in the midst of a transition to a sustainable energy system. Most countries are not reducing their emissions fast enough, so the integration between renewables and smart grids is essential.
Renewable energies such as wind and photovoltaic will become much more efficient in the future with the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Many energy companies are already starting to apply Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to control the demand and production of renewable energies.
Solar and wind energy are linked to climatic factors to generate renewable energy, which conditions energy productivity. This conditions the productivity of energy, but with AI we can anticipate the drop in electricity production with the demand for consumption to stabilise the amount of energy available in the system. What do we achieve with this? Avoid outages or shortages of electricity supply at specific times and places where it is not possible to cover everything with renewable energies alone. These two types of energy will benefit the most from the use of AI in the management of the energy production grid.
In 2021, the World Economic Forum published a report entitled Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Accelerate the Energy Transition, which explains that the global energy system is undergoing a massive transformation and that a process of decentralisation, digitalisation and decarbonisation will be consolidated in the coming decades.
Thanks to Big Data and data analytics, we can predict up to 36 hours in advance in which geographic areas renewable energy production will drop and where those additional demand peaks will occur.
As renewable energy deployment increases to decarbonise the sector, more energy will be delivered through endless sources such as solar and wind, creating the need for better forecasting, better coordination and more flexible consumption. With AI, we will be able to identify more accurate patterns and behaviours, so they play a crucial role in accelerating performance. AI has proven to be a key element in making installations more efficient, smarter and more capable in triggering the energy transition.
The future of renewables with AI is promising and although still limited, we may soon see it in long-term projects.