Operating AI systems in the electricity sector under European’s AI Act – Insights on compliance costs, profitability frontiers and extraterritorial effects

Artificial intelligence (AI) brings great potential but also risks to the electricity industry. Following the EU's current regulatory proposal, the EU Regulation for Artificial Intelligence (AI Act), there will be direct, potentially adverse effects on companies of the electricity industry in E...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: F. Heymann, K. Parginos, R.J. Bessa, M. Galus
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-11-01
Series:Energy Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352484723015494
_version_ 1797378629854822400
author F. Heymann
K. Parginos
R.J. Bessa
M. Galus
author_facet F. Heymann
K. Parginos
R.J. Bessa
M. Galus
author_sort F. Heymann
collection DOAJ
description Artificial intelligence (AI) brings great potential but also risks to the electricity industry. Following the EU's current regulatory proposal, the EU Regulation for Artificial Intelligence (AI Act), there will be direct, potentially adverse effects on companies of the electricity industry in Europe and beyond, as well as those active in the development of AI systems. In this paper, we develop a replicable framework for estimating compliance costs for different electricity market agents that will need to comply with the numerous requirements the AI Act imposes. The electricity systems of Austria, Greece and Switzerland are used as case-studies. We estimate annual, aggregated costs for electricity market agents ranging from less than one million to almost 200 million Euros per country, depending on compliance costs scenarios. Results suggest that a profit growth of 10% through AI utilization is needed to offset the highest added compliance cost of the AI Act on electricity market agents. Eventually, we further show how to assess the regional differences of these costs added to system operation, providing spatially disaggregated compliance costs estimates that consider the structural differences of the electricity industry within 26 Swiss cantons.
first_indexed 2024-03-08T20:10:31Z
format Article
id doaj.art-c8a9f689036a48fcaf3cf5f8cd50e33e
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2352-4847
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-08T20:10:31Z
publishDate 2023-11-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Energy Reports
spelling doaj.art-c8a9f689036a48fcaf3cf5f8cd50e33e2023-12-23T05:22:12ZengElsevierEnergy Reports2352-48472023-11-011045384555Operating AI systems in the electricity sector under European’s AI Act – Insights on compliance costs, profitability frontiers and extraterritorial effectsF. Heymann0K. Parginos1R.J. Bessa2M. Galus3Section Geoinformation & Digital Innovation, Swiss Federal Office of Energy, Berne, Switzerland; Correspondence to: Pulverstrasse 13, Ittigen 3063, Switzerland.PERSEE, MINES ParisTech, Antibes, FranceINESC TEC, The Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science, Porto, PortugalSection Geoinformation & Digital Innovation, Swiss Federal Office of Energy, Berne, SwitzerlandArtificial intelligence (AI) brings great potential but also risks to the electricity industry. Following the EU's current regulatory proposal, the EU Regulation for Artificial Intelligence (AI Act), there will be direct, potentially adverse effects on companies of the electricity industry in Europe and beyond, as well as those active in the development of AI systems. In this paper, we develop a replicable framework for estimating compliance costs for different electricity market agents that will need to comply with the numerous requirements the AI Act imposes. The electricity systems of Austria, Greece and Switzerland are used as case-studies. We estimate annual, aggregated costs for electricity market agents ranging from less than one million to almost 200 million Euros per country, depending on compliance costs scenarios. Results suggest that a profit growth of 10% through AI utilization is needed to offset the highest added compliance cost of the AI Act on electricity market agents. Eventually, we further show how to assess the regional differences of these costs added to system operation, providing spatially disaggregated compliance costs estimates that consider the structural differences of the electricity industry within 26 Swiss cantons.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352484723015494Artificial IntelligenceCompliance CostsElectricityEnergy PolicyRegulation
spellingShingle F. Heymann
K. Parginos
R.J. Bessa
M. Galus
Operating AI systems in the electricity sector under European’s AI Act – Insights on compliance costs, profitability frontiers and extraterritorial effects
Energy Reports
Artificial Intelligence
Compliance Costs
Electricity
Energy Policy
Regulation
title Operating AI systems in the electricity sector under European’s AI Act – Insights on compliance costs, profitability frontiers and extraterritorial effects
title_full Operating AI systems in the electricity sector under European’s AI Act – Insights on compliance costs, profitability frontiers and extraterritorial effects
title_fullStr Operating AI systems in the electricity sector under European’s AI Act – Insights on compliance costs, profitability frontiers and extraterritorial effects
title_full_unstemmed Operating AI systems in the electricity sector under European’s AI Act – Insights on compliance costs, profitability frontiers and extraterritorial effects
title_short Operating AI systems in the electricity sector under European’s AI Act – Insights on compliance costs, profitability frontiers and extraterritorial effects
title_sort operating ai systems in the electricity sector under european s ai act insights on compliance costs profitability frontiers and extraterritorial effects
topic Artificial Intelligence
Compliance Costs
Electricity
Energy Policy
Regulation
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352484723015494
work_keys_str_mv AT fheymann operatingaisystemsintheelectricitysectorundereuropeansaiactinsightsoncompliancecostsprofitabilityfrontiersandextraterritorialeffects
AT kparginos operatingaisystemsintheelectricitysectorundereuropeansaiactinsightsoncompliancecostsprofitabilityfrontiersandextraterritorialeffects
AT rjbessa operatingaisystemsintheelectricitysectorundereuropeansaiactinsightsoncompliancecostsprofitabilityfrontiersandextraterritorialeffects
AT mgalus operatingaisystemsintheelectricitysectorundereuropeansaiactinsightsoncompliancecostsprofitabilityfrontiersandextraterritorialeffects