Position paper: AI as an accelerator of the energy transition

News - 16 September 2021

Making a significant contribution to creating opportunities for a CO2-free energy system, this is what 150 representatives from the business community, knowledge institutions and government are working on within the Dutch AI Coalition. The Energy and Sustainability working group collaborated on the position paper 'AI as an accelerator of the energy transition', which sets out the opportunities for a CO2-free energy system. Researchers from TU Delft have made an active contribution to this agenda.

According to Mathijs de Weerdt, chairman of the Energy and Sustainability working group, the position paper is a guideline for AI research and innovation within the energy sector. The paper also serves as a steppingstone for working together with stakeholders in the sector towards the ambition to accelerate the energy transition. 

In the next ten years, the Netherlands wants to take major steps towards increasing the amount of renewable energy produced and the electrification of heat demand and mobility. This wish requires a complete and highly complex transformation of the energy system. In the Netherlands, a great deal of attention is paid to the involvement of the regions and the various interested parties in this transition. This increases the complexity of the decision-making process. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can make an important contribution to accelerating this energy transition.

Mathijs

Ambition of the working group
The Energy and Sustainability working group has the ambition to accelerate the energy transition in the Netherlands with the help of AI. The position paper describes a long-term vision on the opportunities and innovation challenges for AI to contribute to the energy transition. No specific scenario or vision is chosen, but the various possibilities are considered, derived from, among others, the integral knowledge and innovation agenda for the energy transition. The position paper ‘AI as an accelerator of energy transition‘ serves as a basis for discussions with stakeholders and for defining calls and forming consortia, for example within the framework of the AiNed Investment Programme.