Preparing for an energy crisis using machine learning

The decarbonisation of our society leads to an increased need for electricity. Meanwhile, we deal with the effects of a pandemic, a climate crisis and a war in Europe simultaneously.

Dr. Vera van Zoest, researcher at Uppsala University and associate senior lecturer at Försvarshögskolan, studies the effect of crisis on electricity consumption and vice versa. Her research team combines big data and machine learning models to predict the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on electricity consumption patterns. In the midst of their study, the war in Ukraine started and Europe ended up in an “energy war”. Now, they plan for a next study in which they will look at the resilience of the Swedish infrastructure in times of crisis, as well as the societal consequences of such a crisis.

The results of this study will lead to prediction models, simulations of vulnerabilities in the energy infrastructure, and improved communication to citizens, making Sweden more prepared in times of an energy crisis.