INESC TEC joins European infrastructure to test AI tools for the energy sector

INESC TEC is one of the 25 partners of the EnerTEF project (Energy Testbeds for the European Future), which aims to establish, develop, implement, and operate a Federated Testing and Experimentation Infrastructure in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the energy sector. at the European level. This infrastructure will facilitate the validation and scaling-up of AI tools and services under real operating conditions of the energy sector all over Europe.

Federated learning applied to AI is becoming increasingly relevant, and the energy sector is no exception. The ability to work collaboratively, fostering the expansion and market adoption of reliable AI, motivated the creation of an Infrastructure comprising a range of physical and digital facilities across five key areas – renewable energy, electric vehicles, transmission networks, distribution networks, and building efficiency – complemented by three “satellite” areas (smaller facilities): hydrogen, efficient industrial processes, and municipal heating networks.

INESC TEC will be responsible for operating the renewable energy domain in Portugal, developing a platform with a user interface that will provide coordinated data with EnerTEF’s federated network, as well as AI services to interact with interested companies. “We will resort to the physical facilities at the Aguçadora test site, where Pelamis and Windfloat technologies were tested in the past. This project will foster new opportunities for the development of AI technologies applied to renewable energy, particularly in the fields of optimisation and modelling – vital to integrate renewable energy into the power grid,” explained Alexandre Lucas, INESC TEC researcher involved in the project.

Offshore energy production is something INESC TEC has been exploring in recent years, given Portugal’s significant potential for development. “Wave energy converters showcase a capacity factor of around 40%, far higher than solar or wind energy. However, they are more expensive, and projects like this one can help companies reducing costs and accelerating the adoption of said technologies. With EnerTEF, we are positioning INESC TEC at the forefront of innovation in AI applied to energy, promoting a more efficient and sustainable energy transition,” he added.

The project aims to overcome barriers to accessing large-scale data and testing facilities, which can be a challenge for certain energy sector companies. “EnerTEF represents a unique opportunity for AI companies, grid operators, aggregators, and renewable energy technology developers, enabling access to a robust infrastructure that facilitates the market adaptation of innovative solutions,” concluded Alexandre Lucas.

The presentation of the EnerTEF project (€5.5M funding) took place in Athens under the coordination of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA).

The researcher mentioned in this news piece is associated with INESC TEC.