From Guest Blogger Kristin Wendys: How Artificial Intelligence Is Making Energy Smarter And Cleaner

The electricity market is experiencing a rapid transformation, which is caused by the artificial intelligence development. Every year new startups enter the industry and offer the exclusive solutions, which allow utilizing oil, gas and electricity more effectively.

Every improvement makes energy smarter and cleaner: it reduces the carbon footprint and saves tones of natural resources. Let’s check, in which niches AI has brought the most valuable results.

Cut Consumption

Big businesses consume huge amounts of energy and they are responsible for finding the effective solutions, which can cut the use of recourses. Google demonstrated a great example how to apply AI to solve this issue.

Tech giant utilized AI for managing data centers. Google installed thousands of smart sensors, which measured temperature and power consumption 24/7 for 5 years.

AI analyzed this data and found the optimal settings for the facilities cooling. Today, system can automatically adjust such parameters as temperature, pressure and humidity. It helps servers to deal with the growing load without power overspending.

As a result, implementation of the machine-learning algorithm cut power use by 15%. Taking to in account a fact that Google is in charge for 0.1% of global electricity use, these results are impressive.

Innovative approach to the data centers management helped company to kill two birds with one stone: to save few million dollars and decrease the carbon footprint. There is no room for a doubt that Google is a great example to follow in terms of process optimization and resources conservation.

Smaller IT firms also utilize the alternative AI solutions. For example, Zayo successfully use Stem’s AI in the U.S. data centers. It helps to learn and quickly adapt to the changing conditions: system easily predict demand and change energy loads across a network to lower peaks of the energy strains.

Balance Supply and Demand

Energy sector suffer from the imbalance in supply and demand more than any other industry. It happens because power produced must be immediately used.

Startup Drift, which currently operates in New York State, is a first company, which decided to use machine learning to forecast the power consumption in the most accurate way possible. AI can analyze such kind of statistical data, which ordinary software can’t: the condition of energy infrastructure, Google Internet searches and companies’ business hours.

Relying on obtained data, Drift purchases the required amount of electricity from the hydro and wind power producers. Also it cooperates with the corporations, which play roles of major consumers, but also can sell power surplus during the periods of low demand.

In fact, Drift is an intermediate company, which assists both: buyers to cut their bills, and suppliers to distribute the electricity. It helps to bring demand and supply closer to a point of market equilibrium. This is a great approach to make an energy sector works smarter.

Forecast Demand

Business and public buildings consume up to 30% of gross electricity generated globally. For this reason, so many IT firms and national organizations are looking for the ways to boost the efficiency of this very sector.

Grid Edge is one of the companies, which has already succeeded in predicting, optimizing and controlling of the power distribution among the buildings. Experts developed a machine learning algorithm, which analyzes the environmental parameters and energy consumption indexes. It allows creating a precise forecast for even the most sophisticated power systems.

Grid Edge uses collected data to build the most effective strategy for the clients, which want their buildings consume less energy. Sheryl Cruz, PickWriters CEO, says: “This cut-edge technology is transforming energy sector in a brand new way. It benefits every market participant: a company cuts the bills, a government drives a national economy and an individual contributes to the environment.”

Analyze Structure of Consumption

Startup Verv created one of a kind hub, which should be attached to electricity meter to track the amount of power used by every single appliance in the house. With the help of AI analysis, it’s possible to identify even a tiny deviation from the norm. For example, system will alert user that his fridge works astatically, if he forgot to close a door tightly.

Verv can help homeowners to predict the time, when some of appliances will break down. For instance, AI can detect that electric kettle become unsuitable for use, if it starts consuming more and more energy to boil one cup of the water every morning. In this way, Verv help clients to save money on electricity bills, protect natural resources and ensure home safety.

Enhance Energy Accessibility

One more challenge, which exists in the energy industry, is about teaching people to use recourses wisely.  To overcome this challenge, government should provide consumers with access to advanced renewable energy technologies.

PowerScout is one of the companies, which utilizes AI to create an online marketplace. When individual wants to renovate his home and make it smart, he can find up-to four local suppliers, which perfectly match the project requirements. Platform allows homeowner reviewing the multiple quotes and choosing the best option.

PowerScout applies AI tools to forecast potential savings on utility costs relying on industry statistical data. As a result, customers can install solar batteries or electric vehicle charging at lower rate. Consequently, market price decreasing drives demand for renewable energy technologies, and more people make a decision to invest money in house modernization.

Find New Sources

Gas and oil corporations cooperate with IT companies in order to perfect the exploration and seismic analysis. They work on AI algorithms development, which helps to process bigger amounts of data fast and effectively. It allows companies to detect an exact location of the fossil fuels.

Oil giants such as Chevron and Total have already applied new technologies in practice. AI helped them not only to find new unknown wells, but also to define old wells with additional potential.

In this way, AI cut company’s costs on exploration and drives the business effectiveness. It makes energy industry smarter and even more profitable than it was before.

Final Thoughts

Artificial intelligence is a key tool, which will help companies to develop the effective strategies towards energy use optimization and environmental protection. AI will continue enhancing a fast transformation of the energy industry boosting benefits and conserving natural resources for the next few decades. It’s small wonder that this sector is extremely attractive for investors from all over the world.

Kristin Savage nourishes, sparks and empowers using the magic of a word. Along with pursuing her degree in Creative Writing, Kristin was gaining experience in the publishing industry, with expertise in marketing strategy for publishers and authors. Now she had found herself as a freelance writer.  She observes with a special interest how the latest achievements in media and technology help to grow readership and revenue and shares her opinion.