South Africa could cut blackouts by having AI-run water heaters

A study showed that maximum demand from water heaters, which can account for as much as half of household electricity usage, could be reduced by 60%. — Reuters

South African cities could reduce the electricity outages hobbling its economy by installing water heaters powered by artificial intelligence, a 30-month study has shown.

Installing devices that automatically switch off to avoid consumption at peak times and take advantage of solar power at the sunniest hours of the day in just a quarter of a city’s households could slash blackouts by 20 hours a month, research by South African startup Plentify showed.