Industry sees high AI potential in energy transition but has yet to invest - report

While three quarters of German energy companies expect artificial intelligence (AI) to have a positive effect on the energy transition, only seven percent have invested in AI so far, according to the German Energy Agency (dena). AI can be used in all sectors of the energy industry and contribute to a secure, climate-friendly and cost-efficient energy supply, dena says in a report highlighting nine possible applications such as forecasts, optimising operations, simplifying active consumer participation and predictive maintenance. In an integrated energy transition, where an increasing number of decentralised energy producers and consumers must be intelligently networked, AI technology therefore "holds great potential”, writes dena. Only 17 percent of the energy companies surveyed by dena, however, said they felt well informed on the topic of AI.

One of the greatest challenges for the German energy transition is matching weather-dependent wind and solar power generation to demand without relying on nuclear power or coal and natural gas. Here, digitilisation and artificial intelligence may prove crucial. In January, a report commissioned by the German economy and energy ministry (BMWi) however showed that progress on digitilisation of the energy transition remains slow.