The American Public Power Association has joined a new initiative recently launched by the Electric Power Research Institute to address the rapid increase in capabilities of AI across industries and the parallel escalation of AI-driven electricity demand and what it means for grid reliability, resilience, and affordability.
EPRI unveiled details on the AI-Power Exchange (APEX) in early November. APEX is a global, invitation-only stakeholder engagement platform.
The advisory panel kick off meeting was held in Orlando, Fla., in November in connection with a Data Center Flexible Load Initiative (DCFlex) meeting held by EPRI.
Michael Coe, Vice President, Physical and Cyber Security Programs at APPA, is APPA’s executive representative for the APEX initiative.
APEX will facilitate structured dialogue among select representatives from regulatory bodies, national laboratories, universities, government agencies, international organizations, and other public-benefit organizations.
The forum is designed to connect efforts underway across these communities, reduce fragmentation and duplication, and accelerate the exchange of research and insights related to AI and the power system.
APEX will explore the intersection of AI use cases, power system constraints, and regulatory alignment, providing members with a venue for discussion around shared challenges and emerging approaches.
“Public power utilities are at the forefront of leveraging AI for the benefit of their customers. Through APPA’s participation in this EPRI initiative, we are serving as a bridge to keep our members informed of the latest developments in the use of AI for power operations,” said Coe.
Through the forum, participating organizations can learn from work underway in other regions and sectors while identifying opportunities to accelerate progress through greater coordination.
The platform complements two EPRI initiatives focused on AI and the power system:
• DCFlex: A multi-year initiative demonstrating how data centers can serve as flexible grid resources to enable speed to power. DCFlex brings together research, frameworks, operational demonstrations, and tools focused on interconnection efficiency, flexibility, and grid stability.
• Open Power AI (OPAI) Consortium: A collaborative initiative focused on building an ecosystem to accelerate development, co-innovation, and deployment of energy domain-specific AI and generative AI tools, models, and data for the power industry.
