NEWSLINE PAPER,- With electricity demands growing, artificial intelligence (AI) applied creatively becomes a ray of hope for preventing blackouts.
Aseef Raihan remembers the terrifying night that Texas was overrun by winter storm Uri in great detail. Falling into darkness as temperatures dropped, nearly 4.5 million households and businesses experienced power disruptions, exposing the fragility of traditional electricity systems.
Resilient energy systems become critical as the demand for electricity worldwide rises, made worse by things like the popularity of electric cars and air conditioning. Using intermittent renewable energy sources emphasizes this need even more, as seen by the recent warning story of possible blackouts in the UK.
One approach that shows promise in the quest of increasing energy resilience is the integration of large battery storage systems into the grid. In only three years, Texas in particular has quickly adopted this strategy, adding over five gigawatts of battery storage to its capacity.
But the capacity of these batteries to maximize charging and discharging cycles—a task made feasible by advanced AI predictions—determines their actual effectiveness. Battery operation at maximum efficiency is made possible by the use of AI algorithms by tech companies like WattTime to forecast dynamics of the supply and demand of electricity.
Such AI-driven insights benefit customers as well, allowing for more intelligent consumption habits. AI algorithms can determine the best times to use home appliances or charge electric cars by evaluating a variety of parameters, such as weather patterns and social behaviours, therefore reducing expenses and increasing efficiency.
Comparably, Danish startup Electricity Maps uses AI to predict the production of renewable energy, helping businesses like Google time their electricity use to coincide with times when greener energy is produced.
AI is used to protect actual infrastructure in addition to maximizing energy use. For example, Buzz Solutions uses AI-powered photo analysis to find evidence of damage or incursion along power lines and substations. AI is essential to stopping outages and reducing the risk of wildfires by spotting possible risks like overgrown vegetation or wildlife incursions.
As the world struggles with growing energy needs and environmental concerns, the combination of artificial intelligence and electrical infrastructure shows promise for resilience. AI enables energy systems to respond to changing problems and guarantee continuous power supply in the face of adversity through predictive analytics and proactive maintenance.