Updated R&D strategy highlights evolving utility technology needs
Explores the potential of artificial intelligence to transform the energy system and enhance customer experience
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) unveiled its refreshed R&D strategy report with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and other innovations as critical enablers to achieving PG&E's clean energy, climate, and customer-experience goals.
The refreshed report outlines the integration of AI as a central component to meeting growing energy demand, stabilizing customer bills and reducing emissions. The report also details R&D progress since 2023 and integrates findings of a company-wide review of PG&E's current usage of AI.
"At PG&E, we are actively building the carbon-free energy system of the future," said PG&E Corporation CEO Patti Poppe. "We're calling on innovators to join us in exploring how AI can shape the future of energy and amplify the incredible work of our dedicated workforce. The future of energy is ours to imagine and create, and together we will achieve extraordinary things."
Today, PG&E uses AI in meteorology, planning, inspections, monitoring, maintenance, and customer communications, among other functions. These AI applications strengthen PG&E's detection, prevention, and response to the risk of wildfires and help to achieve greater operational performance and customer experiences.
In the report, PG&E also identifies opportunities for AI to improve data collection and analysis, expand capacity, reduce emissions, stabilize bills and provide enhanced customer service.
PG&E will dive deeper and explore AI plus many other important topics in collaborative conversations with cross-industry leaders at its 2024 Innovation Summit on November 13 in San Jose, California.
The 2024 summit will showcase breakthrough innovation underway at PG&E and other utilities. It will also provide an opportunity for conversation and collaboration on a focused subset of high-potential challenges.
Following the Innovation Summit, PG&E will issue targeted calls for collaboration on some of our most impactful challenges.
