POWER-GRID RESILIENCERevolutionizing Energy Grid Maintenance: How Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming the Future
Scientists are leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to transform energy grid asset maintenance, helping U.S. power companies identify and address problems before they even occur, helping to ensure the security and reliability of America’s energy infrastructure.
Argonne scientists are leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to transform energy grid asset maintenance, helping U.S. power companies identify and address problems before they even occur.
America’s need for power has never been greater, and it continues to grow — recent filings with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission show grid planners expect demand to grow nearly 5% in the next five years. To meet the energy needs of the future, energy companies need to bring new plants online while maintaining their existing infrastructure.
Renewable energy sources — such as wind, solar and hydropower — will play an increasing role. The U.S. aims to generate 44% of its power from renewable resources in 2050, more than doubling the power currently generated by these new technologies. Solar is expected to provide 22% of our power, with another 14% coming from wind. Integrating these new power sources into the grid will involve the installation of hundreds of millions of inverters, all of which will need to be maintained.
Meanwhile, parts of the existing grid are old and starting to fail. The average age of hydropower facilities in the U.S. is over 70 years. Many are nearing the end of their operational lifespans and require extensive inspections and maintenance. The state of America’s power lines, delivery networks and gas pipelines is even more concerning. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave these systems a grade of C- in 2021.
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“Our goal is to equip energy providers with the tools they need to ensure a reliable and resilient grid for years to come.” — Feng Qiu, head of the Advanced Grid Modeling group at Argonne
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Monitoring and maintaining the health of this diverse suite energy assets of different ages is crucial to ensure the reliability and security of our electric grid. However, power companies may not know there is a problem with their equipment until something breaks.
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory are stepping in to address this need. Working closely with power companies across the energy sector, from aging hydropower plants to massive solar installations, they are reshaping the way companies approach maintenance of the nation’s energy infrastructure and clean energy assets.