Source: Energy & Management Powernews, March 25, 2022
The German Energy Agency (Dena) has published the results of a survey on artificial intelligence (AI) in the energy industry.
About three quarters of the total of 250 executives surveyed see the use of artificial intelligence as an opportunity for a sustainable energy industry. This is according to a statement from the German Energy Agency. However, only 35% said they were actively learning about the topic. And while 17% of executives feel well informed, 10% described their level of information as "not good at all."
The majority of respondents consider both the emergence of new business models (76%) and an increase in productivity (77%) to be realistic when using artificial intelligence. However, only 51% see the opportunity for economic growth against this background.
Compared to the first survey of this kind in 2019, the second survey conducted from November 2021 to January 2022 reveals an overall more positive attitude of the industry towards AI. This time, the respondents had also expressed more concrete ideas about the possible fields of application. These are energy management, the control of consumers and the area of smart building, it continues.
In general, it can be seen that there is a greater willingness to use AI in larger companies. In some cases, AI projects are already being implemented. Where AI has not yet taken hold, insufficient knowledge, lack of expertise, low resources, long lead times for planning, and insufficient data quality and availability still stand in the way of its use.
Dena encourages database with AI projects
The survey shows, says Andreas Kuhlmann, that those responsible in the companies have recognized the importance of AI for the energy transition and their company. "To ensure that the rollout of the technology also succeeds in good time, we must now intensify the exchange of information between companies and with experts," says the Chairman of Dena's Management Board. In this way, he said, pilot projects could also be implemented in small and medium-sized companies.
That is why Dena recommends increased exchange between large, medium-sized and small companies, in order to share the know-how already acquired and practical experience. In this context, the energy agency suggests regular exchange formats as well as a database of AI projects.
"Closer cooperation can improve the energy efficiency of AI, for example by making already tested and trained AI models available in open source form. In this way, it can unleash its full potential for an efficient energy transition," says Dena.
Dena has already created a platform for exchange between the energy and digital industries with the "Future Energy Lab" on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. The use of AI solutions is one of the focal points of this platform.
Dena has summarized the results of the survey in a document entitled "Artificial Intelligence in the Energy Industry".
Author: Fritz Wilhelm
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