The U.S. Department of Energy has selected an Arizona State University-led research team for its Genesis Mission project, an initiative leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance electrical grid resilience.

Using AI-accelerated scenarios, the ASU team will develop a planning tool with a government-backed grant to mitigate energy instability and accelerate infrastructure planning. The purpose, ASU explains, is to transform science and energy through AI-driven initiatives that deliver tangible benefits to local communities.

Karen Fisher-Vanden, a global futures professor part of the ASU School of Sustainability, will lead this DOE project to rapidly assess thousands of scenarios, according to a release. These scenarios will include things impacting energy demands, new technology integration and extreme weather to improve grid reliability and potentially lower costs amid rising electricity rate uncertainties.

“This project reflects the exceptional expertise of our researchers and the power of collaboration across institutions, national laboratories and industry partners,” said Sally C. Morton, executive vice president of ASU Knowledge Enterprise and chief research and innovation officer, in a statement. “By advancing AI-enabled approaches to strengthen the resilience of the electrical grid, we're helping to create knowledge and technologies that can support a more reliable, secure and sustainable energy future in the United States."

The ASU research will also include co-principal investigator Julia Szinai from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Fisher-Vanden and Szinai will be joined by Casey Burleyson from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Renee Obringer and Mort Webster from Pennsylvania State University and Patricia Hidalgo-Gonzalez from the University of California, San Diego.

Nationally recognized in grid resilience research, ASU will head this project alongside partners from Berkeley, PNNL, Penn State and UCSD to engineer solutions that benefit grid operators across the country.

DOE’s Genesis Mission united the 17 DOE national laboratories with industry, academia and nonprofit organization partners to collaborate and harness AI solutions that transform discovery and strengthen science and technology leadership in the U.S.