As done with new technology in the past—for example, when advanced energy storage was first introduced more than 10 years ago by AES—power system stakeholders should put AI through a checklist and ask five key questions before embarking on the journey:

1. How does it work?
2. Is it dependable?
3. Is it scalable?
4. Is it sustainable?
5. Is it cost effective?

With energy storage, successful commercial projects immediately checked the first two boxes. But it took years for storage to meet the criteria of the last three questions.

The opposite is true for AI’s application in the power sector. It’s already clear AI is scalable, sustainable and cost effective, given successful implementations across industries including healthcare, financial services and retail. Yet, exact use cases for AI and its level of dependability are still being explored. Once these questions are answered, we’ll see rapid adoption and the effects of AI in the energy industry.

Soon, AI will be the power behind power
AI will surely create opportunities for investing in new forms of sustainable energy. And, as multipliers of value, such emerging digital solutions will also make current systems more profitable.

From major projects like utility scale, solar and wind farms, to smart appliances in homes, AI will finally allow us to harness the millions of connected assets on the power grid. By improving monitoring and enhancing awareness, helping with classification and outcome prediction, AI will bring new business value to utilities and significant benefit to consumers.

The promise of AI will inspire innovative thinking, and its possibilities will offer new ways to solve old problems. We’ve only just begun to discern what AI can do in the power sector, but if we commit to understanding its potential and applying its capabilities, we will transform the infrastructure and create a more sustainable future.

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