AI is destined to spread more and more into all aspects of our lives. And there is no better example than solar power to demonstrate this to us.
The roofs of our houses are gradually evolving. The irreducible tiles are covered with solar panels that are increasingly accessible to ordinary people. Coupled with domestic batteries, they promise relative autonomy compared to the national network, but also welcome savings at a time when electricity prices are increasing significantly.
So how can this booming sector innovate even more than it already does?
Optimize costs down to the last cent
If solar panels are so interesting, it is because they provide access to renewable energy at a lower cost. Economies of scale and political will are the main drivers of this trend, and one would expect that these two elements would be enough to drive solar prices down again and again. However, there are always ways to get the little beast, and some professionals in the sector seem to have a few ideas in mind.
Like Frank Magnotti, CEO of Electriq Power, an American company specializing in home electricity storage. According to him, artificial intelligence could have many advantages for installers and customers alike. And this, from the first contact with them to the maintenance of their installations.
AI already has a role to play in systems already on the market, optimizing their use based on supply and demand. However, the process could become even more efficient, by collecting ever more variables, including “ all weather forecasts », Specifies Magnotti, even the most localized ones. However, the businessman does not want to stop there.
Facilitate the work of technicians
For Magnotti, new technologies can help reduce pre-installation costs. By helping, for example, to generate multiple design options based on different budget and performance parameters, quickly and cost-effectively. “ This is where AI can play a bigger role,” he explains, “ because there are many scenarios to take into account “.
It would also be possible to improve data collection for the completion of this step. In addition to information obtained from satellite imagery or weather forecasts, AI could analyze customer facilities on site, using drones or various imaging techniques. It would even be able to limit the travel of technicians on site, which could reduce costs which are reflected in the final estimate.
AI would also reduce operating costs. “ Long-term maintenance is very important and end consumers generally do not factor it into their calculations », notes Magnotti. If he remains vague in his forecasts, the businessman believes that it could help customers plan the need for maintenance of their systems, and therefore reduce costs and optimize returns.
ChatGPT, a salesperson at your service?
Artificial intelligence has taken on a new face for 2024, and Magnotti is obviously not indifferent to it. According to him, conversational AIs like ChatGPT have an important role to play, and for good reason. Customer acquisition represents a significant budget, and taking over part of the dialogue with them through a chatbot has the potential to save time and money for all involved.
This type of tool could even acquire more responsibility, gradually reducing the need for human technicians. Indeed, according to our businessman, AI will become more and more powerful by accumulating data. It will therefore be able to take care of a greater number of steps, from sales to the design of the systems to be installed at customers’ premises. “ The bigger the scale, the lower the risk », he reassures us.
Magnotti does not invent the wheel, but his vision summarizes quite well what is currently happening with artificial intelligence in many sectors. If it is capable of helping us in many tasks, even when it comes to dialogue, it also has shortcomings, and not the least. The American businessman’s interest in this technology raises obvious questions, particularly regarding employment and real effectiveness once on the ground. It remains to be seen, above all, whether this will really be beneficial for end customers, but also for the environment.
Source : CNET.com
4