Using AI to fight climate change

As part of our work to apply the latest AI development for sustainable solutions, the climate & sustainability team at Google Developers Group (GDG) and The Energy Collective (TEC), have collaborated with domain experts at a Google-owned wind farm to accelerate the transition to renewables. This project aims to increase the value of wind energy by improving the prediction and control of plasmas, which are critical components of wind turbines. To achieve this goal, the AI team has developed custom software tools that predict and control plasmas in wind turbine blades. The research team has partnered with domain experts at the Swiss Plazm Centre to leverage their expertise in tokamak-style nuclear fusion reactors for optimizing magnetic control of plasmas. This project is part of Google’s larger effort to accelerate the global transition towards a sustainable energy future, which aims to build solutions that are widely applicable and can help mitigate and adapt to climate change. With the goal of making renewable energy more accessible, this work aligns with Google’s mission to bring internet to everyone around the world. The impact deepmind algorithm reduced Google data centre cooling bill by 40%, which was a significant improvement compared to previous estimates. This shows how AI has the potential to help accelerate the transition towards sustainable energy sources. In conclusion, AI research at GDG and TEC is dedicated to applying latest AI development for promoting sustainable solutions, improving energy efficiency and achieving global sustainability goals through technological advancements.