12 green AI projects share £1m to help industries cut carbon emissions

Schemes range from AI forecasting in solar energy production to AI monitoring of crop and soil health to decarbonise dairy farming. 

The government has also announced a further £2.25m under its ‘AI for Decarbonisation’ programme, and £500,000 to launch the UK’s first Centre for Excellence on AI innovation for decarbonisation (ADViCE). This takes total funding provided to £3.75m. Energy firms, software developers and innovators have until October 10th, 2023 to apply.

Photo by Compare Fibre 

The AI projects set to receive a total of £1m include: 

• £133,932 for a solar energy project run by the University of Nottingham, with AI used to improve the forecasting of solar energy production using sky images and weather data, reducing network congestion and maximising the amount of renewable energy shared 
• £132,147 for list.io Ltd to create new agriculture robotics to provide automated soil and crop health monitoring, aiming to support decarbonisation in crop management and dairy farms 
• £121,500 for London-based Open Climate Fix Ltd to develop AI supporting the connection of solar electricity to the energy grid.  
• £100,000 for Secqai Ltd in London to support the development of new ultra-low-power AI technology mirroring the neural structure of the human brain to consume a fraction of the power needed by traditional AI hardware, helping to cut the carbon footprint of AI itself 

Together, the funding is is part of the government’s £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, with the stated aim of positioning the UK at the forefront of AI and decarbonisation. 

Lord Callanan, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, says: ‘We are unquestionably world-leading when it comes to advanced AI and our track record for decarbonisation. This unique position means we must now push the boundaries in how this technology can enhance our rapidly growing clean energy sector.  

‘It’s projects like those announced today that will take us to the next step on our ambitious journey to becoming net zero, while boosting our energy security and creating a new wave of skilled jobs for the future.’ 

Viscount Camrose, Minister for AI and Intellectual Property, adds: ‘AI is delivering transformative change in the UK. These winning projects are yet another example of how we are tapping into our world-class research base and home-grown expertise to tackle one of the most pressing global challenges of our time. 

‘Whether backing projects to help us slash emissions or supporting research to revolutionise healthcare for patients, we’re harnessing the enormous potential of AI technologies to improve people’s lives.’