AWS Head of Energy and Public Services: AI is the turn of the network – and its salvation

These peaks test a grid built for a different era. Over 70% of the country’s power and transformers are over 25 years old with the end of their functional life. The Ministry of Energy warned that this aging infrastructure could have “major consequences on our communities”, increasing the risk of generalized and cascade breakdowns. The modernization of the grid is no longer optional, it is essential.

Fortunately, grid operators have tools to manage the stress of the grid they did not have in the past. To help prevent power failures, public services should deploy artificial intelligence tools to analyze food and improve efficiency without exerting additional pressure on the network.

This transformation is urgent. Renewable energies now representing a fifth of American electricity, almost four times their share in 2013, the grid operators are responsible for managing a more dynamic and variable energy mixture.

At the same time, systems operators face critical shortages of trained professionals. The remaining employees must analyze large amounts of incoming data in less time, while keeping the reliable service and under control the costs.

The result is a system that is under increasing stress. The search for the Texas A&M University shows that major power failures increase by 20% each year, lasts longer and have an impact on more consumers.

In an industry strangled by the evolution of requests and pressures, the making of small adjustments will not prevent the worst risks of grid instability in the next 10 years. The sector needs a new model – the one that merges data in real time, automatic learning and automation to anticipate the problems before cascade.

Fortunately, technology already exists to start this change today. In months, not decades, grid operators can see quick improvements in the stability of the grid using AI.

And this change is already underway. In months, not years, public services already see the advantages of AI tools designed to increase human decision -making. These tools, often called AI agents, analyze large quantities of real -time operational data, simulating future conditions, identifying the signs of early alert and recommending immediate fixes.

Take southern California Edison, an electricity supplier serving more than 15 million people in California. Using predictive AI systems, they can automatically detect faults with precision up to 80% before they occur, preventing current failures.

AI also improves customer experience. Smart grid technologies as AI agents can help households save up to 15% on their energy bills thanks to better demand management and real -time price options. Duke Energy, for example, uses clouds of clouds compatible with AI to reduce residential solar interconnection times from month to less than 24 hours, removing barriers to the adoption of clean energy.

The upgrading of our energy network is not only to add the new technology – it involves empowering human decision -makers with the tools they need to keep the lights at an affordable price.

We are at a rare moment of alignment: the need is urgent, the technology is ready and the infrastructure to support it is already in place. Public services that adopt the AI ​​compatible digital transformation will be more resilient, reactive and ready for the future. Those who delay are likely to delay as challenges continue to grow.

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