In February, an article was published as part of the MegaMind program!
By Merel Noorman, Brenda Espinosa A. and Saskia Lavrijssen
Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology and Society (Tilburg University)
“Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques are increasingly used to address some of the challenges of the energy transition. Such challenges include the integration of renewable and more volatile energy sources as well as the increased demands on the limited network capacity due to the growing electrification. AI techniques have been used to, among other things, forecast and predict energy consumption and supply, control behind-the-meter appliances and devices, optimize energy storage, schedule battery charging, and monitor system health. These techniques promise to enable new coordination mechanisms, new scales of flexibility and complexity, as well as new relationships, roles, and responsibilities. As such, they could support the shift from centralized control to decentralized control of electricity systems.
The use of AI technologies in electricity networks offers many opportunities but also raises multiple concerns. One key concern is how AI will affect energy justice, that is, the fair distribution of the benefits and burdens of energy systems, as well as equitable access to decision-making processes and adequate recognition of different stakeholder groups. The delegation of more and more decision-making tasks in the energy sector to opaque and complex AI systems could lead to energy injustices when these systems disproportionality disadvantages certain groups in society. What are the energy justice implications of the use of AI in smart electricity systems and what does this mean for the design and regulation of these technologies? We address this crucial question in our paper ‘AI and Energy Justice’ published in Energies.[1]”
Continue reading the blog version here on the website where also future publications of the MegaMind program will be listed.
[1] Noorman M, Espinosa Apráez B, Lavrijssen S. AI and Energy Justice. Energies. 2023; 16(5):2110. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16052110