Southwest Power Pool, the nonprofit electric grid and market coordinator based in Little Rock, announced a new partnership with Hitachi to pioneer artificial intelligence to help improve power transmission reliability and flexibility in the central United States.
SPP and Hitachi, of Santa Clara, California, will use industrial AI and advanced computing to get new energy sources onto the grid more rapidly, the companies said in a joint news release Thursday.
The computing power should cut analysis time by 80% in approving the interconnection of new power generators, according to the release. Hitachi’s AI solutions, powered by NVIDIA’s accelerated computing platform, will be a key factor.
The system will apply AI-based power simulation, augmented modeling, predictive analytics and engineering services to the goal of easing the growing strain on the nation’s electricity infrastructure. Goals including streamlined planning, capacity shortage mitigation and better grid reliability. The initiative should also improve emergency responses. Eventually, AI will address alternative energy integration and transmission constraints, the companies said.
Growing Power Demands
They are asking AI to help SPP increase generation capacity in its 14-state region of middle America. That’s something the regional transmission organization needs to do to keep pace with rising electricity demands.
U.S. power demands are growing 2% to 3% annual, driven by data center development, manufacturing growth, and electrification in all sectors.
“Our nation’s demand for electricity has risen sharply in recent years,” Lanny Nickell, SPP’s CEO, said in a statement. “Our industry has struggled to keep up with this sudden and significant shift.
“There are a lot of would-be power producers out there waiting to connect to the grid, but yesterday’s systems and technology haven’t been sufficient to enable us to bring incremental capacity online fast enough,” Nickell added. “It’s time to fix that, and SPP is proud to work with Hitachi and NVIDIA, two AI industry leaders who have the means to help realize a vision of a better energy future for our nation.”
Power-Hungry Data Centers
Data centers could consume 12% of U.S. electricity by 2028, the companies said, up for 4.4% in 2023. That surge could potentially cut SPP’s generating capacity margins from 24% in 2020 to just 5% in 2029. But those numbers apply only if nothing changes.
The U.S. now generates 1.28 terawatts of power. Twice that much generation is proposed, but projects are backlogged in long interconnection protocols.
Extensive analysis and simulations cause the delays. But they are necessary to make sure that interconnecting new power sources doesn’t compromise grid reliability.
Hitachi’s combined expertise in AI and SPP’s competency in transmission reliability make for a good match, the companies said.
As the regional transmission organization, SPP will integrate the AI solutions and services. The goal is to assure each move aligns with industry best regulations and best practices.
“The partnership with Hitachi and NVIDIA runs parallel to other improvements underway at SPP, including a from-the-ground-up reimagining of its transmission planning processes to align them with current and future industry needs,” the news release said. “Together, these technological and process innovations are expected to set high-water marks in the electricity industry for generator interconnection, mid- and long-term planning, long-term forecast accuracy, analysis and deployment of additional grid-enhancing technologies, and more.”
Industrial AI
An industrial AI system with advanced proprietary algorithms features centrally in the project.
Hitachi iQ’s enterprise AI stack will enhance process automation, predictive analyses and communication systems integration, the companies said.
Officials expect to complete the project’s phase one milestones over the winter months. Those include initial systems acceleration, data management processes optimization, and the introduction of AI-augmented simulation modeling.
“This initiative is about reimagining the electricity production and distribution process through the lens of modern AI technology,” said Frank Antonysamy, Hitachi Digital’s chief growth officer. “Real-time data access is needed to create truly realistic scenarios caused by new generator introductions.
“The AI solution we’re all developing will provide that data, among other advantages,” Antonysamy’s statement continued. “SPP can then make significantly quicker, better-informed decisions that will increase overall ROI while better serving the nation’s population with accessible power. We’re proud to be a part of this important three-way collaboration addressing such a crucial problem.”
Marc Spieler, NVIDIA’s senior managing director of the global energy industry, said accelerating the interconnection process is critical. “Using advanced NVIDIA accelerated computing and AI, Hitachi and SPP are helping speed interconnection studies to bring essential infrastructure online faster.”
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