AI for Affordability
Lesley Jantarasami is Smart Electric Power Alliance Vice President of Research and Industry Strategy. Jeff Guldner is former CEO of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. and its subsidiary Arizona Public Service Co.
The energy industry is closely watching to see if and how ongoing advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) will address critical planning and operational challenges. A chief concern facing the industry today is energy affordability as states, regions, and utilities are making significant new investments in the U.S. electricity system.
In this context, AI is most often discussed alongside data centers as one of the key drivers of the growing energy demand that is part of the complex equation of rising energy costs. But increasingly, utilities and grid operators are deploying new AI- and ML-powered tools to improve their decision making and capture efficiencies that can reduce overall system costs.
Last November, following the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Annual Meeting, the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) and Amazon hosted a dialogue on the latest applied research and real-world examples of AI and ML in the electric power sector. Over 50 attendees, including utility commissioners, utility representatives, and technology providers, gathered to discuss three main use cases: faster interconnection, improved load forecasting, and enhanced predictive tools to support grid reliability and resilience.