Applications for artificial intelligence continue to grow around the world. The technology now touches nearly every sector and industry, including clean energy.
AI can be used in a variety of ways in the energy sector, such as grid management, boosting energy efficiency in buildings and infrastructure, better planning for electric vehicle charging networks, and large language models to assist compliance and review with federal permitting, according to the Department of Energy.
As more companies and governments pursue clean energy policies and net zero emissions goals, the use of AI will be critical. The technology can help with improved forecasting and optimal energy use.
At the same time however, AI presents serious cyber and national security risks as it expose more of the country’s electric grid to a potential cyberattack if not properly protected.
The Energy Department and leading industry players are actively working to seize AI-created opportunities, as well as ensure the security of the country’s grid system. In July, the department published a roadmap to implement its Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence for Science, Security, and Technology (FASST) initiative, which aims to foster collaboration between the DOE and its 17 national laboratories to research and develop new uses of AI for science, energy, and national security.
“Artificial intelligence is an innovative technology that can help unleash breakthroughs in energy technologies and enhance our national security,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. “FASST builds on DOE’s role as the nation’s steward of advanced supercomputing and research infrastructure across our 17 national labs to provide a national capability in AI and enable technological breakthroughs for decades to come.”
FASST’s work will be enabled by four key areas – data, computing, a specifically skilled workforce, and industry partnerships. It also has five priority areas for developing AI:
- Advance national security, including applications for threat detection and strategic deterrence.
- Attract and build a talented workforce that trains and retains top scientific talent across the country.
- Harness AI for scientific discovery, including the development of tools that reduce the time to discovery and extend the U.S.’s technical competitive edge.
- Address energy challenges by unlocking new clean energy sources, optimizing energy production, and improving grid resilience.
- Develop technical expertise necessary for AI governance that can provide insight and independent expertise to inform and validate standards and regulations.
The department aims for FASST’s work to help lead to breakthroughs in battery technology, smart grid infrastructure, and breakthroughs in fusion.
On the private side, AI is a double-sided coin. The technology drives demand for high-energy usage data centers, yet it can also be used to help reduce emissions, boost energy efficiency, and improve grid functionality.
Generative AI systems might already use around 33 times more energy to complete a task than task-specific software would, according to Cornell University. Despite this energy consumption, the opportunities presented by AI to improve grid resiliency and efficiency are vast.
AI can help grid operators better understand current conditions, make better decisions, and predict future problems, according to an article from MIT Technology Review. AI-powered machine learning models can predict how much energy will be needed on a particular day much faster than human operators, saving valuable time.
These models could also be used to better forecast power outages, which could ultimately then help prevent them. Similarly, AI-powered data models can expedite inspections of power lines for risk factors, such as overgrown trees, that could lead to outages. This allows companies to more quickly know where to perform equipment maintenance or tree trimming.
At the February annual meeting of the Edison Electric Institute, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang discussed AI’s potential to transform the energy and utility industry.
“The greatest impact and return is in applying AI in the delivery of energy over the grid,” Huang said. The CEO noted that one example of AI’s use in the sector could be the use of AI-powered smart meters to allow customers to sell excess electricity to neighbors.
This more tailored approach to energy use at home could allow customers to better optimize their energy usage and save money.
As the use of AI in the energy sector progresses, experts say it will require grid operators to work in tandem with the technology to ensure its proper use and maintain data security.
“You will connect resources and users, just like Google, so your power grid becomes a smart network with a digital layer like an app store for energy,” the Nvidia CEO said at the February meeting. “My sense is, like previous industrial revolutions, [AI] will drive productivity to levels that we’ve never seen.”