Alberta AI project receives cash injection to help with optimizing battery operations

A new artificial intelligence project near Medicine Hat will increase optimization of battery storage operations.

SCALE AI, Canada’s artificial intelligence cluster, is boosting its investment in Alberta’s tech sector with $3 million in new funding for an AI project that will optimize battery operations.

“AI is no longer theoretical. It is practical, it is deployable, and it is especially delivering real impact today,” said Yassine Lazraq, investment director at SCALE AI.

The investment is part of SCALE AI’s $128.5-million commitment announced on Tuesday.

The project, spearheaded by Calgary-based Arcus Power, will enable battery operators to optimize charging and discharging based on real-time market signals, grid requirements and asset health.

Their aim is to boost revenue, reduce wear and improve overall system performance.

They partnered with Elemental Energy at its solar plant in Cypress County near Medicine Hat.

“We worked with them a few years ago to come up with an optimization model to determine, based on the conditions of the asset, which is PV and, battery storage and the market conditions of the grid,” said Rhonda Jewett, vice- president of growth and operations at Arcus Power.

“We are moving, from a single battery system to many battery systems, and how do you best decide what action to take for each individual battery to ensure that the whole portfolio is operating in the best manner.”

Arcus Power officials said the facility could not always discharge stored energy back to the grid due to transmission limitations.

Calgary Liberal MP Corey Hogan said he believes the project shows Alberta’s commitment to energy innovation.

“When we used to connect the country, we used to think about railways with steam locomotives, bringing us together from east to west,” he said.

“Well, today it’s AI and digital systems that write the next great chapter.”

One University of Calgary computer science professor said AI is not going anywhere and will become more advanced.

“Specifically, if we talk about white collar jobs, like in healthcare, in education or in customer service, you’ll see a lot of these AI tools being integrated,” said Richard Zhao.

“We need to understand that, AI is not perfect. AI provides information. It’s never 100 per cent correct. Which is why we say that you always need a human in the loop. You always need the human expertise.”

SCALE AI has invested more than $25 million in Alberta for seven AI projects since 2018.