The power plant of the past was a smokestack on the horizon. The power plant of the future is the solar panel on your roof, the battery in your garage, and the intelligent software that connects them all.
— Jim Carroll
The opportunity
Tap into the Earth’s consistent subsurface heat for a reliable, renewable, and low-emission source of electricity and direct heating, available 24/7.
From “Decoding Tomorrow: The Way Forward: #3 Energy: ""The power plant of the past was a smokestack on the horizon. The power plant of the future is the solar panel on your roof, the battery in your garage, and the intelligent software that connects them all.”” (September 2025)
accelerating renewables & grid parity . Renewables like solar and wind are now the cheapest source for new power generation in most markets. In 2023, 81% of all new renewable capacity added worldwide generated electricity more cheaply than the most economical fossil fuel options.
the AI-driven demand shift. The massive, escalating energy demand from data centers and AI infrastructure is placing unprecedented strain on aging grid systems and reshaping the landscape of power consumption.
skills gap and technical complexity : The new energy economy requires a new set of skills. There is a growing shortage of workers with expertise in data science, cybersecurity, and the complex software systems that manage a smart grid. SMEs and community groups often lack the in-house technical expertise to design, implement, and manage advanced energy systems.
From “AI Megatrends - AI In Energy : Connected, Intelligent Energy and Energy SaaS” (June 2023)
HEMS or home energy management systems - We will see the evolution of a “home energy ecosystem,” in which later versions of Nest and ecobee will not only let individuals adjust and manage the temperature of their homes but will manage and monitor the storage of electricity generated on their rooftop solar panels, as well as mediate and manage the sale of that energy back to the local power company or a local power grid. In addition, HEMS devices will help to automatically deliver cost and carbon savings from intelligent appliances and other in-home electrical devices, offering up power-saving recommendations.
In effect, AI can help in managing demand and supply between the network and the source, and AI algorithms will revolutionize the way we generate, distribute, and consume energy from renewable sources such as solar, wind, and hydro because we. can use machine learning to make wind power sufficiently more predictable, or use AI to better determine the best locations for solar power generation. Power companies increasingly need AI and software to predict when and where power will be available—and automation to make sure power gets to where it’s needed, when it’s needed, without overloading the system.
Advanced control algorithms based on AI and ML can help achieve effective control of a hybrid wind-PV power system. These algorithms can optimize the power output of the system by predicting the energy generation from both sources and adjusting the system parameters to ensure a stable and consistent power output.
From “3 Ways Energy Innovation Will Heat Up in 2016” (January 2016)
The rule of Moore’s Law is rapidly coming to renewables. This “law” — predicting that the processing power of a computer chip doubles ever year while the cost is halved — is coming to the manufacturing process of renewable technology, to the infrastructure built into renewables, and to the systems that drive renewable use.
The most promising breakthrough in renewable power will likely be a massive amount of innovation throughout every aspect of the sector. This is coming about because of our ability to apply more connectivity and computer intelligence to every single aspect of renewables — whether it’s generation, transmission, or deep analytics into the efficiency of operations.
Essentially, what I think is happening is that the rule of Moore’s Law is rapidly coming to renewables. This “law” — predicting that the processing power of a computer chip doubles ever year while the cost is halved — is coming to the manufacturing process of renewable technology, to the infrastructure built into renewables, and to the systems that drive renewable use.
Read the full pieces on jimcarroll.com:
Decoding Tomorrow: The Way Forward: #3 Energy: ""The power plant of the past was a smokestack on the horizon. The power plant of the future is the solar panel on your roof, the battery in your garage, and the intelligent software that connects them all.”
AI Megatrends - AI In Energy : Connected, Intelligent Energy and Energy SaaS
3 Ways Energy Innovation Will Heat Up in 2016