Challenges for "Intelligent" Systems in the Power Industry

Intelligent system (IS) techniques have evolved over the past 20 years. While R&D, primarily academic, of these techniques have progressed very well, practical applications in the power industry still remain a challenge. Few areas, e.g. load forecasting, alarm analysis, distribution automation have been field tested. Why are electric utilities acceptance and use of IS techniques so limited? What can be done to bridge the gap between research and practical applications? The power industry is facing the problem of an aging work force. While the industry will be recruiting new workers, many utilities are beginning to incorporate knowledge management as part of their corporate strategy. Industry restructuring has resulted in larger grids, new business practices, and stronger interdependencies between various networked systems, e.g. IT, telecommunications. In this complex environment, the role of knowledge is increasingly important. To what extent are these factors creating the catalyst for wide-scale applications of IS techniques? This talk discussed these questions and proposed strategies that could help increase industry interest and acceptance of IS. Examples of applications areas that are more feasible were examined