New patents to integrate artificial intelligence into power grids have grown sixfold in recent years, with the United States and China leading the way in AI for smart grid development, according to a new study by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The report, Patents for Enhanced Electricity Grids, shows how patents for electricity grid technologies have surged over the past two decades as advances in digital integration and the rollout of clean energy sources are driving innovation across the energy sector.
Software innovations boosted smart features in physical grid patents by 50% between 2010 and 2022, with supply-demand forecasting tools and electric vehicle charging representing the two largest areas of growth in this category.
