How Automation and AI Are Revolutionizing O&M in the Clean Energy Sector

The clean energy sector has undergone a major evolution over the past decade. As demand for renewable energy grows and diverse distributed energy resources (DERs) are integrated into the energy mix, operations and maintenance (O&M) teams are under pressure to juggle increasingly complex fleets. Managing these diverse systems, tight margins, and keeping customers happy can feel like an uphill battle, especially if you’re stuck with tools that can’t keep up. But here’s the good news: automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are turning those challenges into opportunities and redefining what’s possible for clean energy O&M teams.

Why legacy platforms just don’t cut it

Many legacy O&M platforms are built on outdated, on-premise technology that have been retroactively retrofitted to function in the cloud. While these cloud-enabled platforms might check some basic boxes, they are far from being true cloud-native solutions. This distinction is important because it has significant implications for clean energy operations.

Unlike cloud-native platforms, which are designed from the ground up to leverage the full potential of the cloud, cloud-enabled platforms often fall short in critical areas:

• Limited Scalability: Adding new projects or expanding your fleet can be a challenge. Legacy systems can struggle to accommodate the demands of larger, more complex operations.

• Weaker APIs: Integration with other essential software, such as CRM or ERP systems, is often cumbersome due to less robust APIs.

• Slower Innovation: Rolling out new features or integrating emerging DER technologies is delayed, leaving you perpetually behind the curve.

• Insufficient Data Control: Legacy systems often lack the ability to centralize and normalize data across fleets. This absence of big data prevents the deployment of AI tools that rely on large, clean datasets for training and continuous improvement.

These shortcomings can have a direct impact on O&M companies, hindering your ability to operate efficiently and scale:

• False Positives: Without AI-powered fault detection, analysis, and automated clearing, legacy platforms generate more false positives, leading to wasted time and resources on trying to prioritize and unnecessary troubleshooting.

• Repetitive Manual Tasks: Tasks like validating reports, cross-checking data, and troubleshooting issues are time-consuming - driving up operational costs.

• Disconnected Departments: A lack of interconnectivity between systems creates silos, making it harder for teams to collaborate effectively and slowing down decision-making processes.

The result can mean many things -  from higher operational costs to slower response times or even reduced customer satisfaction. In a fast-moving industry like clean energy, these inefficiencies can hold your business back, limiting growth and preventing you from capitalizing on new opportunities.

How AI-driven automations are changing the O&M game

New cloud-native solutions are redefining what’s possible for clean energy O&M teams by seamlessly integrating AI and automation. Built specifically to leverage the full power of cloud computing, these platforms offer more scalability, flexibility, and efficiency—capabilities that legacy systems can’t match. For O&M teams, AI-driven features translate into some game-changing perks:

• Smart Workflows: Automate repetitive tasks and streamline operations, keeping your team aligned for smoother, more transparent operations.

• Thermal Imaging Analysis: Push-button integration of thermal imaging data with electrical data to quickly pinpoint faults, identify root causes, and streamline time to resolution.

• Alert Prioritization and Filtering: Automatic reduction of noise from false positives through AI analyzing and ranking alerts based on urgency and potential impact.

• Advanced Fault Detection: Predictive analytics identify and address issues before they escalate, minimizing downtime and maximizing energy output.

The Benefits of Automation and AI in O&M

Automation and AI are making it easier than ever to manage O&M. By leveraging smart technology, you can streamline workflows, maximize operational efficiency, and free up your team to focus on what matters most: delivering exceptional results for your customers.

AI takes clean energy O&M to the next level by addressing some of the industry’s biggest challenges:

• Increasing System Uptime: AI-powered fault detection analyzes data in real time to predict and prevent issues, keeping systems online and facilitating efficient resolution.

• Automating Repetitive Tasks: From filtering alerts to generating customized reports, AI eliminates time-wasting tasks, letting your team focus on growth.

• Boosting Productivity and Scalability: AI standardizes processes and integrates seamlessly with other systems, enabling effortless fleet expansion.

• Improving Margins: By reducing unnecessary troubleshooting and optimizing asset performance, AI helps you do more with less—maximizing your bottom line.

Take enSights’ cloud-native energy and management ecosystem, for example. It cleans, standardizes, and analyzes data from every piece of hardware across your fleet, saving you hours of manual work while giving you confidence. It also eliminates the inefficiencies of disconnected systems by integrating all aspects of O&M into a single, unified ecosystem - allowing all of your business departments to work off of accurate data. Features like alert prioritization and thermal imaging analysis go beyond the basics, helping O&M teams save time, reduce costs, and deliver the proactive services that customers need. 

enSights’ energy management and operations ecosystem features automated thermal imaging analysis powered by AI. This technology efficiently processes extensive drone footage to accurately detect faults in hard-to-reach areas, significantly reducing the need for manual analysis and minimizing on-site inspection time.

Success Story

One of enSights' clients, a C&I solar O&M company managing 900 assets, achieved a 66% reduction in its monitoring team by implementing enSights’ energy and management ecosystem. Through real-time alerts, actionable insights, and automated reporting, the client streamlined its operations, allowing its employees to manage 33% more sites while maintaining exceptional service levels and tracking maintenance calls and SLAs with ease.

The Future of Clean Energy O&M

As clean energy continues to evolve, the need for more advanced, automated solutions will only increase. The future of O&M is data-driven, AI-powered, and automated—helping organizations make smarter decisions, reduce costs, and scale operations efficiently. By embracing these technologies now, O&M leaders can position themselves for long-term success in an increasingly competitive industry.

Ready to transform your O&M business? Book a demo with us today.