How AI is transforming the electricity grid – and why robot dogs could have a role to play | The Grid
https://www.theguardian.com/the-grid/2026/mar/23/how-ai-is-transforming-the-electricity-grid
Publish Date: 2026-03-23 12:21:00
Source Domain: www.theguardian.com
- Electricity grids and AI are highly compatible because AI excels at handling enormous numbers of variables and complex systems.
- Iberdrola, Europe’s largest utility company, has been using AI for over 10 years to optimize operations, predict outage times, and plan for grid maintenance based on historical data.
- AI is also instrumental in making energy more clean by maximizing renewable energy output and minimizing fossil fuel dependence. It helps in predicting energy needs, optimizing wind turbine locations, and anticipating wind or solar production.
- AI contributes to innovative renewable-energy storage solutions, as demonstrated in Iberdrola’s partnership with Multiverse Computing to optimize grid-scale battery installations using quantum algorithms.
- AI improvements allow for more efficient use of existing grid infrastructure and help balance energy generation and consumption, leveraging the real-time conditions of the grid.
- AI enhances communication with customers by providing information on outages and bills, and by encouraging smarter energy use.
- AI can even support ecological conservation by analyzing bird flight paths and mitigating ecological concerns in renewable energy site selection.
