Grid StrAIn Part 3 — AI vs. AI: Can Artificial Intelligence Solve the Grid Strain It’s Creating?
Artificial intelligence is driving a new wave of energy demand: fast, unpredictable, and always on. From data center expansions to enterprise-scale model deployments, AI is straining a grid that was never designed for this level of intensity.
But what if the same technology creating this pressure could also help us manage it?
Utilities are already navigating the challenge of rising AI-related load. Now, the focus is shifting to how AI can help strengthen grid reliability, streamline operations, and support more proactive planning. That future isn’t theoretical. It starts with data, diagnostics, and the right expertise, and it’s already within reach.
At Doble, we see AI not as a silver bullet, but as a powerful tool that, when built on a foundation of real-time insight and human judgment, can help utilities make faster, smarter, and more reliable decisions.
AI Can Help. If It Has the Right Data
AI has the potential to improve grid stability, but it’s only as powerful as the data it relies on. For AI to make informed decisions about asset health, potential failures, or load balancing, it needs real-time, high-quality visibility into what’s happening on the grid.
This includes data on transformer condition, insulation aging, substation stress, and breaker wear, metrics that traditional time-based maintenance models often overlook. Modern condition monitoring systems like Doble’s Calisto™ DGA monitors, doblePRIME IDD™ bushing and partial discharge monitors continuously track these variables across an entire fleet.
These technologies provide the trusted asset health data that makes AI-enabled decision-making possible. AI can’t solve what it can’t see, and reliability starts with visibility.
From Data to Decisions: Predictive Maintenance in Action
One of the clearest applications of AI in grid reliability is predictive maintenance. With access to diagnostic data and asset trends over time, AI-powered systems can flag emerging risks before they become failures.
By detecting early signs of insulation degradation, gassing anomalies, and moisture intrusion, AI can detect subtle patterns that time-based maintenance might miss and recommend preemptive action. Rather than waiting for an outage, utilities can plan targeted repairs, reduce costs, and avoid service disruptions.
These strategies rely on precise diagnostics. Tools like Doble’s DGA monitors and partial discharge testing systems provide the foundational data. Paired with asset analytics platforms these insights can trigger alerts, automate reporting, and feed AI models that forecast system stress.
Predictive maintenance isn’t just possible, it’s already happening. And AI is accelerating what well-instrumented utilities can do.
AI Demands Protection Systems That Work
AI may someday manage more of the grid automatically. But when faults occur, relays and protection systems still need to respond in milliseconds and respond correctly.
That means AI-enhanced operations must be supported by rigorously tested protection schemes. If automation fails or fluctuating loads cause unexpected events, the grid’s foundational protection logic must still operate flawlessly.
System protection testing, fault simulations, and logic validation remain essential. Tools like Doble’s F6150sv™ relay test set and Protection Suite™ software allow utilities to simulate real-world events, confirm relay settings, and ensure every layer of defense is functioning as expected.
If a self-healing grid is the goal, then testing the systems that heal it must be part of the strategy.
People + AI: The Real Reliability Strategy
AI doesn’t replace utility expertise, it enhances it. Field teams, operators, and engineers are still the ones interpreting data, adjusting strategies, and responding to real-world complexity.
As the utility workforce evolves, the most resilient utilities are pairing automation with technical mentorship, diagnostic training, and scenario planning. This hybrid model, where experienced people guide AI-driven tools, will define the next phase of grid reliability.
Doble supports this balance through expert engineering services, workforce development programs, and technical consultation. In the age of AI, utilities don’t just need better tools—they need better insight.
From Possibility to Partnership
Artificial intelligence won’t solve the grid strain on its own. But when grounded in accurate diagnostics, predictive strategies, and utility expertise, it becomes a powerful ally in grid resilience.
At Doble, we help make that foundation possible. Our monitoring tools, protection testing platforms, and technical training programs give utilities the visibility and confidence they need to support AI-informed decisions.
As utilities invest in the systems and skills that will define the next era of grid management, Doble is here to support them with the tools, training, and trust they need to succeed.
More Information:
- Grid StrAIn: AI & Grid Reliability Part 1—The AI Energy Crunch: How Data Centers Are Reshaping Grid Reliability
- Grid StrAIn Part 2 — How Utilities Can Get Ahead of AI’s Energy Strain — Before It’s Too Late
