As artificial intelligence becomes more central to both daily life and business operations, conversations around its role in the energy sector are heating up.
Through a partnership with Gecko Robotics, NAES is using AI to modernize energy generation, particularly in conventional plants like natural gas or coal-fired facilities.
Here, we’ll spotlight why AI is both a tool for modernization and a driver of new energy demand.
What AI Looks Like Inside a Power Plant
Conventional power plants supply the bulk of global electricity —NAES has recognized an opportunity to improve performance without replacing infrastructure. AI & robotics allows us to do just that by:
Optimizing Heat Rate Efficiency:
Through partnerships like the one with Gecko, AI tools like Cantilever target a 1% improvement in heat rate, reducing fuel consumption for the same power output, potentially saving or earning plants over $1 million annually.
Enhancing Real-Time Maintenance:
AI-powered virtual plant engineers and augmented reality tools provide real-time troubleshooting and maintenance guidance, minimizing downtime and improving reliability without additional on-site expertise.
Supporting Staff Augmentation
With AI-driven monitoring, diagnostics, and even report generation, plant teams can accomplish more with fewer resources — critical as the workforce ages and recruitment tightens.
We’re using AI to make existing power plants run smarter, safer, and more efficiently
AI Is Also Creating More Demand for Power
Here’s the irony: while AI is helping make power plants more efficient, it’s also driving up global electricity demand.
- Every large AI model lives in a data center
- Data centers are major energy consumers
- More AI adoption = more servers = more electricity needed
This adds urgency to generation-side modernization. We’re not just powering homes and factories anymore — we’re powering AI itself.
Why This Matters
AI’s transformation of energy generation directly impacts power plant operation, cost management, and market competitiveness. It matters because:
- Reduces Operating Costs: AI optimizes fuel efficiency by monitoring turbine and plant data, lowering expenses for NAES’s clients, especially those with long-term plant ownership.
- Minimizes Disruptions: AI predicts equipment failures, enabling planned maintenance that avoids expensive outages, ensuring stable power supply and client satisfaction.
- Addresses Labor Shortages: With an aging workforce, AI automates diagnostics, allowing NAES to manage plants efficiently with fewer staff, maintaining service quality.
- Enhances Asset Value: By improving plant performance with existing infrastructure, AI helps NAES maximize returns for clients, particularly private equity firms with short-term asset cycles.
The future of energy isn’t just renewables or smart meters — it’s a system where traditional infrastructure is enhanced by intelligence, not replaced by it.
Want to Go Deeper? Tune Into Our Podcast
If this topic piqued your interest, we invite you to explore it further in our latest podcast episode, where industry experts break down the real-world forces shaping energy generation today. In the episode, we discuss:
- Why electricity demand is rising faster than expected, and what that means for grid reliability in the U.S.
- How policy, technology, and innovation are reshaping the way we generate and manage power
- The growing role of AI and robotics in extending the life, safety, and efficiency of conventional generation assets
Listen to the full episode here and get practical insights into the future of energy — from industry insiders who are building it.
