Digital tools and AI are becoming crucial for running renewable energy grids, but many countries are getting left behind in the rollout. Experts at International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Innovation Week 2025 made it clear: you can’t have an energy transition without going digital. Smart tech is finally solving the biggest headache with solar and wind power – they’re unpredictable.
Solar panels and wind turbines only work when the sun shines or wind blows. Now AI can forecast when these sources will produce power and automatically balance what’s available with what people need. This makes clean energy way more reliable and able to compete with old-fashioned power plants.
The technology tackles the problem from different angles. AI looks at weather data to predict how much solar and wind power is coming, while smart meters let people use electricity when it’s cheap and clean. Advanced computer systems help grid operators juggle all the different energy sources and prevent overloads.
This is completely changing renewable energy’s reputation. Instead of being flaky power sources that need fossil fuel backup, solar and wind can now help keep the grid stable. Smart maintenance systems even use weather forecasts to figure out when equipment needs fixing, which saves money for clean energy companies.
But there are big problems slowing things down. Data centers running AI need tons of electricity, which makes grid planning harder. Many developing countries can’t keep up because they lack smart infrastructure, money for upgrades, and rules that let new tech into electricity markets. Cybersecurity threats and missing technical standards make it even tougher to roll out these solutions everywhere.
