Contributions of artificial intelligence and digitization in achieving clean and affordable energy

Concerned by the continuous decline in the quality of life, poverty, environmental degradation, and escalated war and conflicts, the United Nations in 2015 instituted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets. Access to clean, modern, and affordable energy, also known as SDG 7, is one of the goals. Universal access to clean, modern, and affordable electricity is one of the metrics for measuring a good life as it fundamentally affects education, healthcare, food security, job creation, and other socioeconomic indices. To achieve this goal and targets, there has been increased traction in research, development, actionable plans, policies, and other activities by governments, the scientific community, environmentalists, development experts, and other stakeholders in achieving the goal. This review presents the various avenues by which AI and digitization can provide impetus to achieving SDG 7. The global trends in attaining clean electricity, clean cooking fuel, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and international public financial flows between 2005 and 2021 are reviewed while the contribution of AI and digitization towards meeting SDG 7 are highlighted. The study concludes that the deployment of AI and digitization into the energy sector will catalyze the attainment of SDG 7 by 2030, provided ethical issues, regulatory concerns, manpower shortage, and other shortcomings are effectively handled. The study recommends adequate infrastructural upgrades, modernization of data collection, storage, and analysis capabilities, improved awareness and education, professional development, collaborative innovation, and promotion of legal and ethical issues as ways of advancing universal access to energy by 2030. Going forward, more collaborations between academic and research institutions and energy producers will help produce experts and professionals to propel innovative deployment of digital technologies in the energy sector.