In the 21st century, our life runs on electricity more than ever. Whether it’s cellphones, kitchen appliances, or even laundry machines, it can feel like every facet of life is plugged into a wall and powered on. However, this is not just a feeling, as the US’s energy production is at an all-time high.
Residential usage counts for around 15% of all terawatt hours, while personal transportation, aircraft, and ships account for a whopping 37%. Currently, the struggle between supply and demand is heating up thanks to Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Each AI search uses around 23 to 30 times as much energy as a regular internet search, straining the existing supply.
How Exactly Can We Help Supply to Match These New Levels of Demand?
One way companies are attempting to bridge this gap is by ironing out the inefficiencies in the current power system. Between 2018 and 2022, around 5% of electricity distributed was lost, which would account for around 202.45 Terawatt Hours by 2025 electricity metrics.
This loss is simply due to aged infrastructure, which is often very tricky to replace. Fortunately, power companies and the government are both exploring alternative options to keep up with demand. The US Government is expected to quadruple nuclear energy by 2025, which could help to provide more sheer power to the grid.
Simultaneously, power companies are exploring ways to update their outdated power systems. Suppliers such as ELSCO are also doing their part by providing new replacement infrastructure. For example, the medium voltage dry type transformers not only come with a 5-year warranty, but they are also 99% efficient compared to older models.
Ultimately, it is very unlikely that power usage will be less prevalent in the US, especially with the constant technological innovations of the age. In order to keep up with the forecasted power demand, a high margin of waste and poor reliability is simply too much of a liability. To help prepare for future power demand, upgrading outdated power systems is essential.
Source: ELSCO
