IRENA Innovation Day: Digital Solutions for the Energy Transition
IRENA’s Innovation Days take place in different regions around the world with the aim to showcase emerging innovations and inform and inspire broader and faster uptake of innovative solutions that can help deliver a renewable future. Building on a series of Innovation Days in Uruguay, Thailand, Turkey and Canada and following discussions in the 4th IRENA Innovation Week 2024, the IRENA Innovation Day on Digitalisation and AI for the Energy Transition, Abu Dhabi in UAE will bring together a diverse mix of policymakers and innovators from the region and international, and offer the opportunity to showcase successes, highlight challenges, learn from each other’s experience and explore how innovative solutions can help meet country and regional needs.
This event will explore how digitalisation – using Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), and Digital Twins – can accelerate the energy transition. These technologies improve grid efficiency and resilience by connecting devices, collecting data, and enabling real-time monitoring and control. However, their potential differs between developed regions and Emerging Markets and Developing Economies (EMDE), where data collection remains limited despite being crucial for effective digital solutions. AI algorithms may also be biased when trained on datasets from advanced markets. Two panel discussions will take place. The first one will be on digital applications that support the 3xRenewables goal, and the second will focus on challenges and opportunities for sustainable, resilient off-grid communities.