GE subsidiary to use AI for wind power generation

The multinational signed a preliminary agreement with Indian renewable energy firm Bharat Light & Power

Wind turbines at a wind farm beside King's Highway in Ma'an Governorate in Jordan. Alamy

GE's power conversion subsidiary signed an agreement with an Indian renewable energy firm to develop artificial intelligence for wind farms.

The agreement between GE Power Conversion and BLP Industry.AI, a subsidiary of Bharat Light & Power, will help develop "next generation AI technology and asset performance management solutions" for wind farms, the companies said in a statement.

GE's power conversion business, which specialises in providing motors for the energy, marine and related sectors, will develop the technology at its engineering centre in the southern Indian city of Chennai.

The collaboration with renewable power generation company BLP will provide "advanced analytics to the renewables sector", Tejpeet Chopra, founder and chief executive at BLP, said.

Using AI could help wind farm owners increase generation, reduce costs and improve returns" he added.

AI is gaining ground in helping to accelerate the global energy transition towards cleaner sources of power.

A study by consultancy Ernst & Young found that using sensor technology, solar and wind generation can yield "an enormous amount of real-time data, allowing AI to predict capacity levels".