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How Data Determines the Future of Energy

What if solar + batteries could power entire islands cheaper than diesel — and an AI-driven model could tell you exactly which islands are profitable today? In this episode of Empower the Data, host Yurii Rudakov talks with Willem De Vries, founder of Charged Islands, about a groundbreaking shift already underway — replacing diesel-powered islands with 24/7 clean baseload energy. Willem, a veteran energy developer behind large-scale solar, battery, and hydrogen projects, reveals how a simple math change unlocked a multi-billion-dollar opportunity: solar + storage on small islands is finally cheaper than diesel. He explains the business case, the data challenges, how batteries reached the tipping point just last year, and why islands spend 10% of GDP on diesel — money that could stay on-island to fuel real development. Here are the 5 key insights every energy leader, investor, and policymaker should take away: 1. Solar + Storage Has Quietly Hit the Economic Tipping Point For decades, batteries weren’t cheap enough to shift solar power from day to night. Willem explains why 2023–2024 changed everything — and how a 10 MW island can now profitably deploy 50 MW of solar + massive batteries to create clean baseload power. 2. Diesel Is Not Just Polluting — It’s Economically Crippling Islands routinely spend tens of millions per year on diesel generation. That’s 10% of GDP leaving the island annually. Willem breaks down why the new solar-plus-storage model lets them keep that capital and reinvest it into growth. 3. Data Scarcity Is One of the Biggest Barriers There is no global dataset for island electricity prices, demand curves, land availability, grid constraints, or population density. Charged Islands currently gathers all that manually — scraping PDFs, government reports, and utility filings. Willem shares why an AI-powered data platform would change the entire business. 4. Predictive Energy Management Will Make Diesel Nearly Obsolete The model delivers 98% solar/battery power, with diesel only as emergency backup. But this requires real-time forecasts: • solar yield • weather events (including Caribbean storm seasons) • demand spikes • battery optimization logic AI-driven prediction will soon be central to grid stability on islands. 5. The Next Clean-Energy Revolution Will Be Commercial, Not Subsidized Willem argues that the “subsidy era” is ending. Solar + batteries will outcompete diesel, LPG, coal, and gas — purely on cost. What happened with mainland renewables is about to happen to islands at a massive global scale. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 – Intro Why islands are the most expensive and polluting energy systems in the world. 00:32 – Meet Willem de Vries Founder of Charged Islands and veteran energy developer. 01:35 – What Is Charged Islands? The mission: replacing island diesel generation with solar + battery baseload power. 03:48 – Why Solar + Storage Suddenly Works (2024 Tipping Point) The economics that shifted — and why batteries finally became viable. 06:15 – Islands Spend 10% of GDP on Diesel How current systems drain local economies and block development. 08:32 – Where the Idea Came From The conversation that sparked a multi-billion-dollar opportunity. 10:39 – The Data Challenge Why it’s nearly impossible to find reliable island energy data today. 13:05 – Predictive Energy Management for 98% Clean Power Weather, demand forecasting, and intelligent diesel fallback. 14:32 – All the Analysis Is Still Manual The hidden operational burden of building island business cases. 15:44 – What AI Could Do for This Industry Willem describes his ideal AI tool for island decarbonization. 17:42 – Scraping, Modeling & Land Insights How automation could identify the best islands and land parcels instantly. 18:20 – How Charged Islands Uses AI Today Small internal use cases — and why they need more. 19:44 – Will AI Replace Humans in Energy Planning? Willem’s honest take on automation vs. expertise. 22:11 – Where Will AI Be in 5–10 Years? Future predictions and how AI will reshape industrial workflows. 24:23 – Final Message to the Audience Why solar + storage will commercially eliminate fossil fuel generation. 25:09 – Closing Remarks What’s next for Charged Islands and the future of island energy. 💬 Comment below How accurate are your current forecasting tools — and would AI-based prediction systems solve the gaps you’re facing? #EnergyInnovation #CleanEnergy2026 #BatteryStorage #SolarEnergy #Microgrids #Decarbonization #AIinEnergy #PredictiveEnergy #EmpowerTheData #DataEngineering