Actis in the Media
Infrastructure Investor: Transforming traditional infrastructure
05 June 2024
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Dr. Ralf Nowack, Director and Head of Operations, Long Life Infrastructure at Actis, commented in Infrastructure Investor for a piece on how digital transformation is being applied to infrastructure assets and transforming the sector. Click here to read the full article or read on below for Ralf’s commentary.
Dr. Ralf Nowack, Director and Head of Operations, Long Life Infrastructure at Actis, commented:
“At a high level, AI is a real game changer. It has powerful applications across different sectors of the economy, and it already has a wide array of use cases in infrastructure, from revolutionising preventive maintenance to optimising market transactions.
“[Planning around renewable energy deviations] can be extremely challenging, as low-level, transient cloud movements are very difficult to predict accurately using traditional data sources such as satellites. At Athena, we are working with the regulator to enhance data inputs and independently developing our algorithms, with partners, to enhance generation prediction.
“We are also collaborating across industry (the Solar Power Developers Association) to leverage collective expertise. This will help minimise penalties to generators while creating a more stable and reliable grid for the consumer.
“It is worth noting that infrastructure operations rarely need costly bleeding-edge AI developments, as again of six to 12 months of competitive advantage has less impact than it would in, say, a trading floor. Setting yourself up as a ‘fast follower’ to new ideas that are proven to work is more industry appropriate, and more cost effective. This is particularly relevant given the durations for which we hold our investments.”