In 1998, a young Robert Kabera found himself studying his high school science textbook under the dim light of a kerosene lamp in the Kalahari Desert. As a refugee from the Rwandan genocide, he had become obsessed with light after six years of living in darkness. This experience set the path for his career.
Kabera eventually moved to Atlanta and graduated from Stanford with a degree in engineering. He started a credit-scoring agency that connected small farmers in Africa to loans for fertilizer and irrigation equipment. He then worked on an electricity-Grid project in Africa, which inspired him to focus on finding ways to keep electricity flowing despite extreme weather events caused by climate change.
Grid failures are often an information problem. While power companies have the means to prevent and repair damage caused by storms and floods, they lack the knowledge of when and where the damage is likely to occur. This is where Kabera saw the potential of artificial intelligence (AI).
In 2020, Kabera co-founded Sync Energy AI, a company that develops AI programs to synthesize weather data, government databases, and power grid information. By analyzing this data, the software predicts which power lines and customers will be at the highest risk during a weather event. Sync Energy AI then takes proactive measures such as cutting back trees near vulnerable wires, reinforcing the infrastructure, and positioning repair crews in advance.
Sync Energy AI has already deployed its software to monitor tree risks to the power grid in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are also in discussions with other municipalities and developing partnerships with insurance companies that cover power grid losses. Kabera hopes to expand Sync’s approach to other climate risks in the future.
By utilizing AI, Kabera aims to bring resilience to the power grid in the face of climate threats. Through sustainable AI, he believes we can better protect and restore nature, manage the risks of climate change, and ensure that light is not lost for those who need it most.
The post The Power of AI in Protecting the Grid from Climate Threats appeared first on TS2 SPACE.
