Trials of AI technologies are boosting wind farm output, reducing the cost of heat pump installations and cutting emissions generated by cement manufacture, according to a new report tracking their impact on decarbonisation of the UK economy.
While many research articles and reports have focused on the negative environmental impacts caused by AI’s high energy and water requirements, the State of AI for Decarbonisation 2025 report instead highlights successes from the last 12 months.
Funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the research was published yesterday (13 January) by the AI for Decarbonisation’s Virtual Centre of Excellence (Advice), a government-backed partnership between the Digital Catapult, the Energy Systems Catapult and the Alan Turing Institute.
“Indiscriminate use of AI can increase emissions, but smart, targeted uses are already breaking down some of the hardest barriers to a low-carbon economy,” said Sam Young, lead author of the new report and AI practice manager at the Energy Systems Catapult. “It’s particularly encouraging to see progress in crucial, behind-the-scenes applications like heating system design.”
The report sets out the challenges tackled and opportunities identified by a number of AI trials around the UK. Heat pump company Heat Geek reportedly managed to halve installation times and cut consumer costs by roughly 75%, for example, using a combination of techniques including computer vision siting assessments and AI selection of optimal design parameters.
Elsewhere, the Aiolus system from the University of Warwick uses reinforcement learning to optimise turbine settings in real time, to minimise wake effects and maximise farm-wide output. If widely implemented, the system could boost annual energy output by 3-5%, according to the report – equivalent to powering one million households from existing wind capacity, without new infrastructure.
Wind is not the only renewable energy source that could benefit from an AI boost. Solar ‘nowcasting’ – forecasting just a few hours ahead – is “materially improving control room decisions” according to the report, with the National Energy System Operator already using it to avoid 300,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions from fossil fuel backup, saving £30m a year.
Other projects highlighted by the report include:
- a large-scale randomised trial that used AI-managed charging of electric vehicles (EVs) to deliver a 42% drop in peak household electricity demand;
- a UK-developed app enabling autonomous drones to inspect crops for disease, already being used by 1,500 farms;
- AI evaluation of millions of possible routes for major energy infrastructure, such as overhead power lines, that can slash the time needed for planning studies by as much as 93%
- research using AI to rapidly explore thousands of material designs and increase the energy density of batteries by 10%, in a push to extend the driving range of EVs.
“Recognising the urgent need to reduce emissions, this report showcases the proven potential of AI and data science to advance the sustainability agenda, helping to build an ecosystem confident in using these technologies to tackle decarbonisation challenges and accelerate progress towards net zero,” said Professor Adam Sobey, mission director for sustainability at the Alan Turing Institute.
Some areas have been slower to apply AI to decarbonisation, however. Decarbonised manufacturing and electrified freight are two examples, partly due to the high capital costs that need to be overcome.
Professor Emily Shuckburgh, chief scientific adviser at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, said: “This exciting report provides example after example of how AI is being deployed to decarbonise our world. It showcases a rapidly growing sector, supported by collaboration between industry, academia and government, and underlines the value of government initiatives such as Advice in bringing that ecosystem together.
“As AI tools and data infrastructure continue to develop, their contribution to emissions reduction, lowering consumer costs and generating economic growth opportunities in the UK is becoming increasingly clear.”
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