“The next major breakthrough in India’s power sector may not necessarily come from the large corporations or an established research laboratory. It could come from a student sitting in this very hall today,” Prasad said at Making the Indian Powe Sector AI Enabled event.
He said India’s ambition to become a developed nation by 2047, expand manufacturing and accelerate economic growth would require a reliable, affordable, resilient and increasingly clean electricity system.
“Electricity is no longer merely another infrastructure service. It is the backbone of our digital economy, our industries, cities and almost every dimension of modern life,” Prasad said.
He noted that the power sector was transitioning from conventional, centralised electricity systems towards a more complex ecosystem involving renewable energy, battery energy storage systems, electric vehicles, distributed generation, smart grids and digitally connected infrastructure.
The challenge, he said, was not merely to generate more electricity but to ensure its availability at the right place and time, with the reliability and quality required by consumers and industry.
AI-enabled vibration analysis and thermal monitoring can help identify potential failures in turbines, generators and other critical equipment before they lead to costly outages, Prasad said.
In transmission, AI-based monitoring, fault detection and operational data analysis can improve network reliability and infrastructure utilisation. In distribution, smart meter analytics can help utilities improve load forecasting, identify abnormal consumption patterns and strengthen consumer services.
AI-enabled decision-support systems can also assist grid operators with demand forecasting, congestion management and maintaining secure and reliable grid operations.
“AI can help us move from responding to problems after they occur to anticipating and preventing them,” Prasad said, highlighting the technology’s potential to improve efficiency across the power value chain.
He added that AI should be treated as a means of solving practical problems rather than an end in itself. Its value would depend on whether it improves electricity reliability, reduces distribution losses, enhances field engineers’ safety and facilitates the integration of renewable energy.
Highlighting the role of startups, Prasad said their ability to question established practices, experiment rapidly and work across disciplines could help develop solutions that traditional approaches might overlook.
He encouraged young innovators to identify problems, develop products and ensure their solutions worked consistently, safely and economically under actual operating conditions.
The CEA chairperson also emphasised the need for professionals from diverse disciplines, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, software development, cybersecurity and energy economics, alongside electrical engineers.
Educational institutions, research organisations and industry partners should collaborate through internships, research projects, innovation challenges, pilot demonstrations and startup partnerships to bridge the gap between classroom learning and practical deployment.
“Our ambition should not be merely to adopt the world’s best technology, but increasingly to develop solutions in India that can also serve the rest of the world,” Prasad said.
He urged students to remain curious, develop interdisciplinary capabilities and experiment, adding that young people had an opportunity to shape India’s power sector through innovation and entrepreneurship.
