When industries rely upon technology to improve their operational efficiencies, better serve their customers and remain competitive, they cannot afford to be late adopters. This is especially true of the electric energy sector, where new technology is introduced at a rapid-fire pace, making it difficult for utilities and other industry partners to keep up.

I enjoy hearing industry leaders discuss which technology has had the greatest impact on electric energy over the past few years, as well as what up-and-coming technology they’re keeping an eye on. When I first stepped in as editor in chief of EET&D, the majority of

these discussions focused on IoT, DERMs, DERs and microgrids. While these remain among the technologies that continue to shift how energy is generated, transmitted and consumed, EVs have moved further up the list of the industry’s most impactful technologies. And recently, it appears that artificial intelligence (AI) may be eclipsing the latest technology in how it is shaping the electric energy sector.

For several decades, AI has been the stuff of science fiction movies and fantasy books. As it becomes more common, there are unknowns. Right now, there is not an army of AI-based, sentient robots running around and making our decisions for us, (at least, not yet), but AI has already become a tool that many of us use in our daily lives. Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri are IA-based, as are apps used for personalized shopping, facial recognition, autonomous driving cars and countless other applications. And while subject matter experts working in the utility space have written about AI and machine learning in past issues of EET&D, more experts are beginning to explore the role AI plays and will continue to play in our industry.

A number of the articles in this issue touch on AI’s expanding role in the business world. In his article, “How Energy Firms Can Leverage IT Tools,” Dijam Panigrahi with GridRaster Inc. discusses how industries across the board are embracing AI.

Panigrahi writes, “Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are becoming more mainstream today, and an increasing number of professionals, such as designers, engineers and manufacturers of energy, utilities and oil and gas producers are looking at ways to incorporate various AI-driven technologies into their workflows.”

Why does Panigrahi consider AI technology to be the “next best thing?” Perhaps it is because, as he points out, not only is AI technology flexible in its implementation but in what it is compatible with. “This technology can work with diverse business applications and structured or unstructured data,” writes Panigrahi.

In his article on how AI and other technologies are drastically reshaping electric energy fleet vehicle management Co-founder and COO of CerebrumX Sumit Chauhan describes how AI will make it easier for companies to collect large amounts of data, analyze it and leverage the information to better meet the needs of its customers. Chauhan explains that one of the benefits of using AI in connected cars is the ability to improve safety, both for the drivers and the vehicles. “By analyzing data from various sources, including traffic patterns, weather conditions and the behavior of other drivers, AI can help drivers make better decisions on the road, reducing the risk of accidents, writes Chauhan. “AI can also be used to monitor drivers' behavior and alert them to potential risks, such as drowsiness or distracted driving.”

While these articles support why AI is such a powerful tool and has the potential for increased profits, proficiencies and productivity, not everyone knows where to begin with implementing the technology.

Fortunately, John Villali who is a research director for IDC Energy Insights offers guidance to address that implementation. In The Bigger Picture section of this issue, Villali talks about how AI is catching on in the power and utility industry and suggests that although there has been an uptick in AI adoption and use cases, many are still trying to comprehend AI’s capabilities.

Villali identifies key areas that organizations in the power and utility sector should consider when looking into AI technology. What’s more, for those planning to invest in AI, Villali lists the necessary steps they should take to avoid the pitfalls of AI technology. According to Villali, whether they apply the technology in operations, at the enterprise level or in the back office, more power and utility companies that have implemented AI are seeing positive results. AI may have further to go before it is more widely adopted, but based on how many companies and individuals have already embraced it, it is clear the potential for the technology is practically limitless.

As AI becomes more commonplace within our industry, and as more of our industry partners find new ways to deploy the technology, we will share their successes and challenges with our readers.

As always, if you would like to contribute an article on an interesting project – whether it involves AI, or not, please email me: Elisabeth@ElectricEnergyOnline.com

Elisabeth