Iberdrola presents more than 150 use cases for artificial intelligence at the eleventh edition of the Digital Summit
Iberdrola's corporate campus in San Agustín de Guadalix (Madrid) was the venue for the eleventh edition of the company's Digital Summit, an event that, over the years, has established itself as a unique space for the exchange of knowledge and experiences in the field of digitalisation and innovation. Through the Digital Summit, the electricity company promotes digital culture, showcases its key projects in this area and inspires all its employees to continue growing in the field of R&D&I.
The slogan chosen for this new edition was ‘AI Momentum.’ This year's conference focused on a disruptive and topical issue: artificial intelligence (AI). To address this, Iberdrola invited top-level speakers from both the electricity sector and other areas and companies, such as Esade, EY, Accenture, Ecoembes, Dyc, Caixabank, Enatic, Holcim, and Ohla. These experts shared their views on the use of AI, while addressing key issues in the application of this technology, such as ethics, regulation, innovation, and contemporary trends.
Iberdrola has been using AI for more than 10 years to make predictions, optimize processes, and detect patterns applicable to its daily operations. In fact, the company has more than 150 use cases at the group level. Among the areas in which it is applying this technology, renewables and networks stand out.
In terms of clean energy, AI provides solutions to maximize the use of wind and solar power for electricity production, with applications ranging from the design phase of a facility, predicting the optimal location of a wind turbine, to operation and maintenance, using algorithms that anticipate failures before they occur, thanks to advanced analysis of millions of data points, or predicting wind or solar production for each hour of the day and for each panel and wind turbine at Iberdrola's plants around the world.
It is also used to protect birdlife through systems capable of detecting birds within a five-kilometre radius of the wind farm and stopping the corresponding wind turbines to avoid any risk.
When it comes to networks, Iberdrola puts AI applications at the service of its customers through an algorithm capable of providing an accurate estimate of how long they will be without power in the event of an incident. This technology also allows its teams to plan which networks or transformer stations will need partial renovation the following year, thanks to the use of 100 variables that predict failures based on six years of historical data.
Iberdrola is also exploring AI to optimize the location of backup batteries that help remedy possible incidents in the network and to identify, with satellites associated with this technology, the volume of vegetation that needs to be cut down, as well as to estimate the growth of this vegetation and evaluate whether the work has been carried out correctly.
Responsible AI
In short, Iberdrola seeks to strengthen its position as a leader in the integration of AI in the energy sector by implementing solutions that transform its processes to drive operational excellence, improve the experience of its customers and employees, and transition to a cleaner and more accessible energy model for all. However, it wants to achieve this through the development and implementation of responsible AI technologies that respect its policies and ethical principles.
To this end, last September, the company announced its adherence to the commitments of the European Commission's AI Act, an initiative that promotes its ethical and responsible application. Even so, the company has been progressively adopting proactive measures, ahead of the deadlines set in the EU regulation (EU AI Act).
Iberdrola has had a corporate AI policy in place for a year, aligned with the new regulation, and approved by the Board, including the registration of AI models and solutions with their corresponding risk assessments and the alignment of its practices with a common global framework. In addition, two years ago it launched a Global AI Center, which plays a key role in ensuring secure technology platforms, implementing measures that guarantee responsible AI, and promoting innovation.
In addition, in February this year, Iberdrola became the first company to certify its Artificial Intelligence Management System (SGIA) with AENOR, becoming the first company to achieve this accreditation in accordance with the international standard ISO/IEC 42001. This recognition highlights the correct implementation and use of artificial intelligence at Iberdrola Customers and Iberdrola Energy Spain, underlining their commitment to innovation, efficiency, and ethics.
Awards
In addition, in this edition, the company wanted to recognize the work of digitalization, which has been key during the DANA storm. Thanks to the Spectrum control system, network assets could be managed with elevated levels of automation and operability, improving the quality of supply, reducing the risk of accidents at facilities, as well as our fleet's emissions by enabling remote operation of the network. During the DANA, these control systems and associated telecommunications systems enabled the operation and monitoring teams to work in perfect coordination. The Spectrum Control System handled a huge volume of data associated with simultaneous incidents during the disaster without disruption, demonstrating its robustness and enabling the control centre to carry out its work.
Furthermore, digitization has been key to ensuring service restoration and operational safety in a record time of 20 hours. This achievement not only demonstrates the efficiency of the technologies, but also the commitment and dedication of the team to overcoming challenges and maintaining excellence in our operations.
