The UK government has allocated £1.73 million to eight projects which focus on the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in the renewable sector.
These projects range from improving weather forecasting for solar energy production to helping consumers and businesses improve their energy efficiency and cut energy costs through AI-optimised energy efficiency software.
The project funding was sourced from the government’s AI for Decarbonisation Innovation Programme, which is part of the £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio.
It is also worth noting that this follows previous funding provided through the scheme, including £1 million awarded to 8 winners and £500,000 awarded last year to set up the UK’s Artificial Intelligence for Decarbonisation’s Virtual Centre for Excellence (ADViCE).
The previous funding allocations were identified as Stream 1 and Stream 2 of the programme and focused on specific sectors.
For the most recent winners, awarded as part of Stream 3, the funding was split across three sectors: the generation, demand, transmission, and distribution of electricity; transport decarbonisation; and land use for renewable generation.
Generation, demand, transmission, and distribution of electricity
Half of the total projects (four out of eight) awarded funding were focused on the electricity side of renewable energy. These include:
- University of Nottingham, which received £263,378 to improve the accuracy of weather forecasting for solar energy and help manage renewables for the electricity grid. The university plans to use a combination of ground-based cameras and satellite images to analyse cloud cover and movement to forecast solar energy production.
- Clio Ventures, based in London, received £133,368 to use AI to help financial institutions identify and validate key projects eligible for green finance funding.
- Carbon Laces Solutions was awarded £342,999 to develop a smart technology that ‘learns’ and adjusts how electricity is used at homes in London to improve grid efficiency and help users reduce their energy costs
- Optimise-AI, based in Cardiff, has received £125,100 to help businesses use AI to optimise energy efficiency in their buildings through the development of a system that calibrates with Internet of Things sensor readings.
Transport decarbonisation
This sector had the least amount of successful projects with only one being awarded funding out of the total eight.
- Flexible Power Systems in Kent won £209,360 to use AI to optimise electric fleet operations and charging schedules based on analysing traffic and the locations of chargers.
Land use for renewable generation
- EDF Energy R&D UK Centre, located in London, received £23,586 to use AI to determine how to position wind turbines to reduce the space needed for an offshore wind farm without reducing its energy output. The AI technology will look at wind flow interaction between wind turbines and assess where and how to position turbines in relation to each other.
- OnGen was awarded £326,371 to build AI software to recommend what low-carbon technologies could be used for buildings in Edinburgh to help consumers improve their energy efficiency and reduce bills.
- Open Power in London has received £313,700 to develop an AI system that will streamline selling electricity back to the grid.
Minister for affordability and skills Amanda Solloway said: “These projects will use our world-leading research and scientific expertise to enhance our renewables sector and boost our energy efficiency through the use of AI in the transport, land use, and electricity space.”
Minister for AI Viscount Camrose added: “AI is the defining technology of our generation, and the UK is harnessing its enormous potential to improve public services, ramp up productivity and tackle shared global challenges, particularly climate change.
“This funding backs brilliant British innovation to drive forward new AI solutions, which will help us reach our net zero ambitions.”
