Energy Disaggregation for Future AGI Microgrids

I am creating this thread to stimulate discussion and thought process on how AI Agents may operate cost-effective data centers using microgrids. I hope to facilitate the understanding of Energy Disaggregation and the concept of power generation, transmission and distribution, so the lay person may understand certain economic factors related to the commercialization of AGI technology.

I will start with basic concepts using the U.S. Energy market as a model. And take a deep dive into Google’s DeepMind AI application for facility management.

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DATA CENTER. A data center is a facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems. It generally includes redundant or backup power supplies, redundant data communications connections, environmental controls (e.g. air conditioning, fire suppression) and various security devices.

With the emergence and proliferation of services and applications such as cloud computing and social networks, data centers play an ever important role. It is predicted that global
data center IP traffic will grow 3-fold from 2014 to 2019 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25 percent [1].

At the same time, the high energy consumption of data centers is drawing more and more attention due to economic, social, and environmental concerns. Data center electricity consumption in the U.S. alone is projected to increase to roughly 140 billion kilowatt-hours annually by 2020, costing $13 billion in electricity bills and emitting nearly 100 million tons of carbon pollution per year [2].

Big Sur servers inside the Facebook data center use artificial intelligence (AI) to power services like speech and text translations, photo classifiers, and real-time video classification. For Google, Deep Learning AI assist with services such as speech and image recognition, and natural language generation.

SingularityNET is a complex project that started as an AI-as-a-Service marketplace with the idea to evolve it into an entirely self-organizing AI network. The AI Agents within this autonomous network will employ AI to outsource jobs to each other and evolve with each other to further develop the system. [3]

A large data center is an industrial-scale operation using as much electricity as a small town.

REFERENCES
[1] “Cisco Global Cloud Index: Forecast and Methodology, 2014-2019,”

[2] “America’s data centers consuming and wasting growing amounts of
energy,” https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/data-center-efficiency-assessment-IB.pdf

[3] “SingularityNET: Learn About The World’s First Public AI Network On The Blockchain”, Crypto Research by William Thrill https://hackernoon.com/a-better-insight-of-singularitynet-607fd64e18c4

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MICROGRID. Microgrid is a localized group of electricity sources and loads that normally operates connected to and synchronous with the traditional centralized electrical grid (macrogrid), but can also disconnect to “island mode” — and function autonomously as physical and/or economic conditions dictate.

In this way, a microgrid can effectively integrate various sources of distributed generation (DG), especially Renewable Energy Sources (RES), and can supply emergency power, changing between island and connected modes. Control and protection are challenges to microgrids.

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Smart microgrids are modern, small-scale versions of the centralized electricity system. They achieve specific local goals, such as reliability, carbon emission reduction, diversification of energy sources, and cost reduction, established by the community being served.

Smart grid is a generic label for the application of computer intelligence and networking abilities to a dumb electricity distribution system. … Integrated, automated communication between components of the electric grid. Sensing and measurement technologies. Automated controls for distribution and repairs.

A smart grid is automated electricity delivery and control system at which devices or “endpoints” located along the power line and on premise can interact with each other. … Utilities Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) is a term denoting automated two-way communication between a smart meter and a utility data center.

A smart meter is a new kind of gas and electricity meter that can digitally send meter readings to your energy supplier for more accurate energy bills. Source: Microgrid - Wikipedia

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FACILITY MANAGEMENT. Facility management (or facilities management or FM) is a professional management discipline focused upon the efficient and effective delivery of support services for the organizations that it serves. It serves to ensure the integration of people, systems, place, process, and technology.

FM covers these two main areas: ‘Space & Infrastructure’ (such as planning, design, workplace, construction, lease, occupancy, maintenance, furniture and cleaning) and ‘People & Organisation’ (such as catering, ICT, HR, accounting, marketing, hospitality). These two broad areas of operation are commonly referred to as “hard FM” and “soft FM”.

The first refers to the physical built environment with focus on (work-) space and (building-) infrastructure. The second covers the people and the organisation and is related to work psychology and occupational physiology. According to the International Facility Management Association (IFMA): “FM is the practice of coordinating the physical workplace with the people and work of the organization. It integrates the principles of business administration, architecture and the behavioral and engineering sciences.”

I recently booked a meeting with Seimens that will take place next month, concerning energy reduction projects to their rail division :slight_smile:

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Thank you, I may call you on that. The initial meeting is discuss what their current program of projects consists of, and to find out if there are any they are struggling to justify from either a capex or ROI perspective :slight_smile:

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@Tim I suspect your overhead and margin requirements are less than Siemens’ energy division and so you might have a real opportunity…lol! :sunglasses:

Which makes a great case for my topic “AGI Microgrids”.

In the United States, the Investor Owned Utilities and independent power producers have fiduciary responsibility to increase shareholder value. They use annual escalation and unforeseen rate hikes to improve earnings.

As such, cost-effective, sustainable energy resource solutions (e.g. microgrids, renewables, alternative energy supply, etc.) are required to mitigate utility expense fluctuations that will negative affect the annual budget, operating capital, and bottom line of any energy-intensive industry.

Essentially, 3rd party energy service providers might leverage their position for economic gain. Thereby, affecting the financial performance of an AI manufacturing facility or data center.

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This is one of the most exciting disruptions coming out of block-chain and AI. This is why companies like TEPCO have a TRENDE division.

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I can report that I tested a smart meter and the results were less than encouraging. I rented a place for six months during one of the coldest winters in memory. As it was the first place I had been that had a smart meter, I was curious. So I operated everything normally for a few months and monitored the bill. We had a wood stove which could heat the place, and supplemental electric heat and electric hot water. One month at the beginning of the billing cycle, I shut off the hot water heater for 23 hours per day, and used the wood stove as the only heat source. We also did not use the electric cook top and instead cooked solely on top of the woodstove. Usage of lights and other devices were also heavily reduced. When the bill came, it was within 5 dollars of the regular bill. I did not receive an acceptable or reasonable explanation. The location was Meadville Pa.