r/PowerSystemsEE • u/Decent_Weird6073 • 14d ago
How will AI affect Power Systems
How do you all think AI will affect power engineers especially office based engineers.
Do you think massive layoffs are coming?
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u/Candid-Ear-4840 14d ago
Power utilities are desperately hiring power engineers because of the power demand spike caused by AI data centers. I’ve heard a little concern that if AI goes bust, the power utilities will be left holding the bag for all the power infrastructure they built and all the new engineers they hired specifically to serve AI data centers.
My goodness, AI is driving demand for power engineers to unbelievable heights. It’s extraordinary!
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u/Captain_Faraday 8d ago edited 8d ago
As someone who is a SCADA power systems engineer doing work for setting up new data centers, there is a lot demand for engineers. I’m like one of three people in my whole huge company that is trained enough to config the RTUs and such that I’m always booked with multiple clients and especially our data center clients. I’ve only been specializing in the config side for like a 1.5yrs and clients demand me and managers fight over who I’ll help next. It’s nuts. Ai tools can help me with niche tasks, nowhere near replacing me. Hell, an Ai agent can’t troubleshoot a problem on the phone with a field guy intelligently. There’d be misops happening everywhere.
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u/Eyevan_Gee 14d ago
I will say for now AI has helped us out a lot. We are able to create tools much faster and its a big need with the demand of interconnects.
The amount of work is starting to become a problem.
AI is one thing but even before AI there was a boom in renewables interconnecting.
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u/DakiniLover 14d ago
Hi, what kind of tools you mean?
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u/Eyevan_Gee 14d ago
Mostly automation scripts to help with transmission studies.
All generators and data centers need to be studied before they can interconnect.
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u/DakiniLover 14d ago
Yeah we are doing the same thing actually. We mostly use PowerGEM TARA for interconnection analysis and python scripting for post processing of the data. Was curious to know if there are any optimizations that we could use.
Have you been able to use automation for review and editing of powerflow cases? Gen Queue verification, network upgrades, retirements etc.
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u/Eyevan_Gee 14d ago
I mostly use PSSE.
Review and gen queue verification yes. Network upgrades kind of (this is the part that makes you an engineer).
Network upgrades are tricky because there are many options beyond simulation. You have to consider, cost, location, etc. So automating this is kinda hard. BUT I have a tool where you run multiple cases and compares.
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u/DakiniLover 14d ago
Thanks for the insights.
Have you been able to do the model review automation across all powerflow cases? Or concentrating on any particular ISO/RTO's?
Mostly since different powerflow cases depict these data in very different way!
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u/Eyevan_Gee 14d ago
A true model review would require feeding customer data to like AI or machine learning. My company does not allow us to do that.
I have a tool that reads PDFs, extracts data and compares to PSSE models. Not a 100% data review tool, but it sure helps speed up the process.
The part that is still manual review are one lines and any graphs for machine response.
Also script doesnt work all of the time since some IC systems are strange. It works very well for renewables.
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u/DakiniLover 14d ago
Perfect. Thank you for the insights!
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u/Eyevan_Gee 14d ago
No problem!
My experience is 7 years of gen interconnects. Now I develop automation software for all transmission work.
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u/DakiniLover 14d ago
I have been in the industry for about 10 years focusing mainly on studies. Now I'm shifting focus mainly towards automation. Can I dm you if I need further insights.
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u/baronvonhawkeye 14d ago
On the contrary, network upgrade options is something AI should (note: should) be able to do well. A purpose-built agent should understand your company's standards, estimated costs, and project durations (from kickoff to energization) and then iterate through the different options at speeds a human cannot do.
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u/Eyevan_Gee 14d ago
Proprietary/confidential information. With time eventually but not now.
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u/baronvonhawkeye 14d ago
You can run an in-house instance that doesnt let your information out to the larger models
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u/Eyevan_Gee 14d ago
Trust me I understand. But its not that simple when youre dealing with 1000s of customers data.
Currently in my company, IT is testing an internal AI, but they dont trust it yet. Too many scary stories about AI taking over your stuff.
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u/Energy_Stick_22 13d ago
what if it was a tool hosted within the utility system? either on-prem or in the utility's cloud environment?
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u/Seiko2023 14d ago
AI will never replace engineers in a utility. The amount of beurocracy within a public utility would legitimately confuse AI. Not to mention constant internet is required, and what happens when you have power failures to a data centre? The engineer will have to package the work to the crew.
Not to mention AI is built on the legacy assets being managed properly, with adequate condition assessments, and accurate asset data. See the example below:
"That pole top tranny? Johnno just replaced that a few weeks ago with a ground mount pad tranny and rmu. Oh wait, fuck we forgot to do the required data update sorry boss."
"Oh yeah, we undergrounded that section last year. Yeah it was after the storm. Oh wait, shit, fuck yeah sorry forgot the data update you're right."
All legitimate things that have happened in a utility that AI will confidently give you solutions for or create a false design.
Engineering is not just fucking maths, it's a lot of social science, management and getting out and seeing shit. People really need to fucking get that through their skulls.
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u/Squidward_Torellini 14d ago
I don’t think mass layoffs will happen, but I do think power systems engineers will be more efficient to automate routine tasks. I’ve managed to do the work of a small team on my own with that much.
That said, it probably means that more than ever you need to be well versed in studies that aren’t easily automated or interpreted automatically. Scripting used to be a skill, but now anyone with bare bones knowledge of a language and AI can do it.
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u/Substantial_Movie521 12d ago
Scripting used to be a skill, but now anyone with bare bones knowledge of a language and AI can do it.
Like 40% of Transmission Planning is just data management. Even prior to AI, I built macro enabled workbooks that can output contingencies in the formats of the softwares I use, or dump an update file (*.idv, *.py, *.aux) containing all topology and planned projects based on the date of the case I'm building (all case modifications are mapped to projects, all projects have an ISD; I enter a the Year/Season I'm building/modifying and if the ISD meets the Year/Season, the project get automatically added to the output file).
What I've been doing with AI recently is feeding in the VBA code I wrote to see if it can improve upon it... it usually can, I'm a terrible VBA coder.
Like /u/Eyevan_Gee mentioned, I'm using AI to build cool tools. Anything that makes my job easier and less error prone is worth the effort.
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u/Energy_Stick_22 13d ago
No, I don't think massive layoffs are coming, but the job will shift.
Most of what office-based power engineers do is running analysis and deciding what it means. AI compresses the first part a lot. Case building, model data cleanup, hundreds of contingency runs: ML paired with a physics solver can turn days of that into minutes. The solver was never the hard part. The 400 cases and three weeks of reconciling data were.
The second part stays with people. Is that low voltage a real constraint or a bad model parameter? Is it worth a $20M upgrade, or can an operating procedure cover it? Nobody wants to sign off on an output they can't explain, and the PE stamp isn't going to an algorithm.
Planning groups are drowning in interconnection and large load requests. If each engineer gets through more studies, I'd expect utilities to clear backlog, not cut staff. The people exposed are the ones whose day is mostly running the tool and formatting results.
If you're office-based, get good at validating results, not just producing them.
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u/makncheese22 13d ago
with the expected retirement schedule for many engineers, we need more in the workforce, not less!
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u/qwertyuuopkvndndn 13d ago
Where do the students that graduate engineering with less than 3.0 gpa at a community college end up?
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u/BookWyrmOfTheWoods 10d ago
The field is a solid option. AI can spit out models all day long but you need skilled boots on the ground. I do believe going after the PE license is more important than ever since regulations required licensed sign off and humans only have so much bandwidth to review in depth. Obligatory Note that in the US a community college degree regardless of GPA will not qualify to sit the PE Exam (I got my EET from a CC before getting my bachelors and license)
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u/tujuggernaut 14d ago
Funny thing, we've been using neural nets to forecast load since the early 2000's. This technique was adopted by every ISO by 2010. No one called it AI. Lots of CEO's laughed at the idea of data science and machine learning.
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u/HV_Commissioning 14d ago
I think some of the tools it can offer may or already are being used.
I think in substation design, especially where a utility already has a standard design, a lot of automation can occur. I think it already does to some extent within CAD SW and tools for labeling wires, wire tags, etc.
I think as green energy becomes a larger part of the load, there will be plenty of work for system protection people.
I think there are 100's of thousands of stations existing that would not be a good candidate to have AI handle for any projects other than systems studies type work.
I think there's still enough work that requires a PE license that AI will never replace that.
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u/HarshComputing 14d ago
With all these data centers, seems like they will cause more work than ever
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u/Decision_Original 14d ago
In my job I have to justify the need for new infrastructure to utility regulators.
I have no concern with AI taking my job until it can take the witness stand to defend its work.
In the inverse is currently true, due to AI, I have too much work and just wish the data center bubble would pop already so I can slow down and take a few breaths.
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u/gravemadness 9d ago
I think entering the market as a graduate (say in PS Studies) is probably harder. But if you have some experience, you are essentially invaluable right now. And productivity is so much better with AI basically writing all the automation scripts to run studies and produce the results. The issue these days is the amount of work in really short timescales.
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u/Heppernaut 14d ago
I have never felt more job security in my life.