PLAYBOOK ATLASPlaybook Atlas

Energy

AI in energy: explore 323 applications.

Connect forecasts and asset evidence to explicit energy operating decisions.

Explore generation forecasts, grid studies, asset maintenance and field-work planning, organized around the decisions operators and engineers make.

Plan your first AI move See the 323 applications

Where the 323 applications sit

Explore the domains
  1. 37Trading & Wholesale
  2. 33Generation
  3. 18Distribution
  4. 17Support Processes
  5. 15Exploration & Production

01Why AI now

Why energy is moving on AI, in three figures.

Each figure links to its source.

  1. Global AI-in-energy market: $19.03B in 2024

    Research and Markets reports that the global AI-in-energy market reached $19.03 billion in 2024 and forecasts $50.9 billion by 2029.

    Source: Research and Markets

  2. AI fault detection cuts outages by 30–50%

    The IEA says AI-based fault detection can reduce electricity-grid outage durations by 30% to 50%.

    Source: International Energy Agency

  3. Major U.S. outages cost $121B in 2024

    Oak Ridge National Laboratory estimated that major power outages imposed $121 billion in customer costs in 2024.

    Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

How to evaluate a first project

Start with one asset, forecast horizon or planning task and compare it with the current operational baseline. Measure data latency, forecast error, false alerts and constraint violations. Define the approval and fallback process before a recommendation can change dispatch, maintenance or equipment settings.

02Capability map

Where energy puts AI to work, domain by domain.

Pick a domain to see its applications. Each one opens a full report.

Inside Trading & Wholesale

Applications in Trading & Wholesale

What the use cases ask AI to do

Share of the energy use cases, by the kind of work the AI does.

  1. Reasoning

    Analyzes, predicts and decides: scoring, forecasting, classifying.

    89%

  2. Perception

    Sees, hears and reads: documents, images, audio and video.

    11%

Under 1% each: generation, optimization and agentic.

03Workflow ideas

Ways AI could change the work, in energy.

Atlas groups these applications by the changes they propose to a workflow. These preliminary classifications help you explore ideas; each application still needs a review of its sources and operating requirements.

Workflow categories in this catalog

Share of the 213 applications assigned a category.

How to evaluate an application

  1. Start with a bounded task

    Identify the inputs, the person responsible, and the decision or output the workflow must produce.

  2. Check the support for each method

    Look for source-backed details about the specific implementation, including its limits and human review.

  3. Measure the pilot

    Record the current baseline, agree on acceptance criteria, and test on representative cases before expanding.

Explore applications

04What gets built

The approaches energy uses most, and when to skip them.

Knowing when not to use one matters as much as knowing when to.

  1. 01 · 54 applications

    Domain Intelligence

    Domain/workflow taxonomy for solution labels that are not implementation techniques.

    Domain Intelligence, in depth

  2. 02 · 45 applications

    Time-Series

    Model and forecast time-ordered data to capture trends, seasonality, and temporal dependencies.

    Use it when

    • You need to forecast future values of a metric that is naturally ordered in time (e.g., demand, load, traffic, sensor readings).
    • The target variable exhibits temporal dependencies such as trend, seasonality, or autocorrelation that can be exploited.
    • Decisions depend on how a process evolves over time rather than on static snapshots (e.g., capacity planning, staffing, pricing).

    Skip it when

    • The data has no meaningful temporal order or the order is arbitrary (e.g., shuffled survey responses without timestamps).
    • You only need to predict static attributes or cross-sectional outcomes at a single point in time (e.g., churn at signup) without temporal context.
    • Historical data is extremely sparse, short, or irregular, making it impossible to learn reliable temporal patterns.
    Time-Series, in depth

  3. 03 · 39 applications

    Workflow Automation

    Use AI inside orchestrated workflows to automate multi-step business processes.

    Use it when

    • When you have repetitive, rule-heavy workflows that still require human judgment or document understanding.
    • When the process spans multiple systems (ERP, CRM, ticketing, email) and manual coordination is slow or error-prone.
    • When large volumes of semi-structured or unstructured data (emails, PDFs, forms) must be processed consistently.

    Skip it when

    • When the process is highly creative, exploratory, or non-repeatable, with no stable sequence of steps.
    • When decisions are extremely high-stakes (e.g., life-critical medical decisions, major legal judgments) and regulations require full human control.
    • When you lack reliable access to the necessary systems or data sources to complete the workflow end-to-end.
    Workflow Automation, in depth

05The applications

323 energy applications, each with a full report.

The widest first, by the number of use cases each covers. Every report shows what changed, how it works, who has done it and what can go wrong.

  1. Solar Forecasting and Dispatch WorkflowsThis AI solution uses AI and advanced optimization to forecast solar generation in real time and translate those forecasts into optimal grid dispatch, storage usage, and market bidding strategies. By combining deep learning, metaheuristics, and robust data-driven forecasting, it improves solar output predictability, maximizes asset utilization, and enhances stability of multi-energy systems. Energy providers gain higher revenues from better market participation while reducing curtailment, balancing costs, and integration risks for renewables at scale.Batch → RT45 use cases
  2. Wind Turbine Generator Maintenance ReviewUse SCADA and maintenance records to investigate generator condition, test fault-warning models and prepare engineer-reviewed inspections. Begin with operating-state-aware triage and validate any prognosis on the local turbine fleet. Models do not replace OEM limits, inspections or maintenance authority.Time-Series Anomaly Detection38 use cases
  3. Grid Resilience Planning and Restoration StudiesHelp engineers test critical-load coverage and restoration options before an outage. Combine a reviewed scenario register with site resource sizing and networked-microgrid studies, then document the electrical and operational checks still needed. The workflow supports preparation and investment decisions.Workflow Automation32 use cases
  4. Seismic Prospect DiscoveryAI-powered seismic analysis and integration platform for enhancing imaging, automating interpretation, accelerating geological feature detection, and embedding Seismic workflows into enterprise exploration systems.Expert → AI19 use cases
  5. Energy Price and Load Forecasting WorkflowsThis AI solution uses advanced machine learning, deep learning, and AI-enhanced weather models to forecast energy demand, renewable generation, and resulting power prices across regions and time horizons. By improving the accuracy and granularity of load and price forecasts, it helps utilities, traders, and asset owners optimize dispatch, hedging, and bidding strategies, boosting margins while reducing imbalance costs and operational risk.Batch → RT17 use cases
  6. Seismic Interpretation QA ReviewAI-powered seismic data analysis platform for duplicate-free seismic storage, streaming interpretation, automated fault and horizon picking, multi-attribute geological feature detection, analogue screening, and subsurface-informed exploration capital allocation.Expert → AI15 use cases
All 323 applications, A to Z

Work with us

The catalog shows what is possible. A sprint decides what you should fund.

Reading every report still leaves the hardest question open: which move is worth funding first, here, given your constraints. That is the sprint: two weeks, fixed scope, and a candid answer either way.

Book a 30-minute callHow the sprint works

Two weeks Fixed scope A candid fit-or-no-fit answer

  1. 01

    Three ranked opportunities

    A decision-ready shortlist scored against value, feasibility, evidence, risk, and time to proof.

  2. 02

    One pilot-ready workflow

    A bounded operating design with actors, handoffs, data needs, controls, and success measures.

  3. 03

    A defensible 90-day plan

    Build-versus-buy guidance, ROI assumptions, risk treatment, sequencing, and executive decisions.

06Rules & standards

Rules and standards to check, with their scope and sources.

Selected US and EU references for these workflows. Applicability depends on jurisdiction, organization, data and intended use. The planning notes are Atlas editorial guidance; they are not official implementation-time estimates or an exhaustive list of obligations.

  1. NERC Critical Infrastructure Protection standards

    Law or regulation

    North America · applicable registered entities and BES Cyber Systems

    CIP applicability depends on the entity, assets, system categorization and jurisdiction. These are reliability and cybersecurity standards, not a separate universal AI certification.

    NERC: Reliability Standards and applicability resources

    Source checked

    Project planning note

    Map the tool, data flows and access paths to the applicable cyber-system categorization and current standards.

  2. FERC Order 2222 · DER aggregation

    Law or regulation

    United States · organized wholesale electricity markets

    Order 2222 addresses participation of distributed-energy-resource aggregations in regional organized markets. Participation follows the relevant operator’s tariff and implementation arrangements; the order does not require AI.

    FERC: Order 2222 fact sheet

    Source checked

    Project planning note

    Use the relevant market’s current tariff, telemetry and coordination requirements when designing aggregation controls.

Your next step

Find your first move in energy.

Ask the workspace which move fits your company. Add your size, systems and constraints, and it works from these 323 applications to a plan your team can act on.

Plan your first AI move

Rather talk it through? Book a 30-minute call