Q: Tell us your background and when you first became interested in energy?
A: My fascination with energy traces back to a defining childhood experience. I remember sitting in the dark for hours during frequent power outages – often in the middle of exam preparation. What began as frustration quickly turned into curiosity. Even as a child, I found myself asking fundamental questions: Who controls our power? Why isn’t reliable energy accessible to everyone? And how can we store it, so interruptions become a thing of the past?

I went on to earn a Master of Science in Information Systems and spent more than a decade working at the intersection of technology and enterprise transformation.

Q: How did you first hear about the Energy Institute and what motivated you to join? 
A: As a Senior Solutions Architect within AWS Energy, staying ahead of rapidly evolving energy policy, regulatory dynamics and cross-sector innovation remains critical. The Energy Institute has proven to be a powerful force multiplier in this regard:

• EI eLibrary and Publications – enabling industry-aligned, research-backed solution design.
• Events and conferences – connecting technology with real-world industry priorities.
• Global network – keeping me aligned with emerging trends and enabling broader influence.

Collectively, these resources have significantly amplified my ability to deliver impact – enabling me to bridge the gap between cutting-edge technology and the complex realities of the energy sector, and ultimately drive meaningful, scalable progress towards a more resilient and sustainable energy future.

Q: You were awarded EI Fellow under ‘Category 1: expertise in energy’. Please would you explain the nature of your energy expertise and how you have used this to best effect for your clients and wider industry?
A: My energy expertise sits at the intersection of cloud computing, AI, IoT [Internet of Things] and cybersecurity applied to energy and utilities. Over the past 12+ years, I have specialised in helping utilities and grid operators modernise critical infrastructure and accelerate decarbonisation through digital transformation.

In my role as a Senior Solutions Architect at AWS, I have translated advanced technologies into practical, scalable solutions such as AI and IoT driven predictive maintenance to reduce downtime and extend asset life, real-time monitoring to improve efficiency, and cloud migration strategies that lower costs and enhance resilience.

I also collaborate with executive leadership on long-term digital and decarbonisation strategies, ensuring that innovation aligns with sustainability goals. My contributions extend to the broader industry through thought leadership, research, engagement with IEEE [the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers] and other professional organisations, and global speaking – driving the broader adoption of AI- and cloud-enabled energy solutions.

Q: Tell us about your current job and industry, and how your work is contributing towards a just transition to net zero? 
A: Today, I’m part of the energy team within AWS Strategic Industries, where I bring together my technical background and long-standing passion for energy to help some of the world’s largest energy organisations navigate this transformation. I lead strategic initiatives focused on leveraging cloud, data and emerging technologies to reimagine energy operations at scale – driving efficiency, resilience and innovation across the value chain.

A key focus area for me is grid modernisation. I help accelerate interconnection studies – a major bottleneck delaying new renewable projects. By significantly reducing study timelines, we enable faster integration of solar and wind into the grid, directly advancing the energy transition. This is not incremental improvement; it’s unlocking capacity that would otherwise sit idle for years.

My contribution to the net zero transition is embedded across every engagement. Today, nearly every energy company is pursuing ambitious decarbonisation goals – and I help translate those ambitions into executable, technology-driven outcomes. This includes:

• Applying AI/machine learning to improve renewable forecasting and grid reliability.
• Enabling faster, more accurate grid simulations for clean energy integration.
• Delivering data platforms to track and reduce carbon emissions.
• Architecting scalable cloud solutions that replace energy-intensive infrastructure.

The impact compounds across organisations – transforming not just individual companies, but the broader energy ecosystem.

The sector itself is uniquely complex: highly regulated, operationally critical and constrained by legacy infrastructure.

I’ve also been an early driver of Generative AI adoption in the sector, helping organisations reimagine operations through predictive maintenance, demand forecasting and intelligent grid management – delivering impact that extends beyond individual enterprises to the broader energy ecosystem.

Q: How do you see the future relationship between AI and energy? AI is a big consumer of electricity, but is changing the way we work. Are you an optimist or a pessimist?
A: I am fundamentally an optimist about the relationship between AI and energy, with a strong sense of responsibility. While AI is a growing consumer of electricity especially with large-scale data centres, its potential to transform the energy system outweighs its impact when applied thoughtfully.

AI already enables smarter grids, predictive maintenance, demand forecasting and improved renewable integration, reducing inefficiencies and accelerating decarbonisation. In practice, it drives meaningful gains in operational efficiency while reducing downtime and waste.

Looking ahead, AI will be central to a more dynamic, decentralised and resilient energy system. The key challenge is ensuring it is powered sustainably through renewable energy and efficient infrastructure. With the right governance and innovation, AI will be a net positive for the energy transition.

Q: In thinking about the future relationship between AI and energy, how would you allocate responsibilities between the tech sector and the energy sector?
A: The future relationship between AI and energy requires a shared responsibility model between the technology and energy sectors, with clear but complementary roles.

The technology sector must take responsibility for improving the energy efficiency and sustainability of AI systems. This includes designing energy-efficient algorithms, optimising data centre operations, investing in low-carbon infrastructure and increasing transparency around energy consumption. Tech companies should also build tools that enable energy providers to better forecast demand, optimise assets and integrate renewables.

The energy sector, on the other hand, must evolve to support the growing and dynamic demands of AI-driven workloads. This includes modernising grid infrastructure, enabling flexible and distributed energy systems, and accelerating renewable generation to meet increased demand sustainably. Energy providers must also embrace digital technologies to improve visibility, control and responsiveness across the grid.

Critically, the greatest impact will come from collaboration between the two sectors. I have seen how joint innovation combining cloud platforms with energy domain expertise can unlock transformative outcomes such as real-time grid optimisation, AI-driven forecasting and resilient infrastructure design. Ultimately, the responsibility is shared: the tech sector must make AI more energy-efficient, while the energy sector must make energy systems more intelligent and sustainable. Together, they form the foundation of a scalable and secure energy future.
 

The views and opinions expressed in this article are strictly those of the author only and are not necessarily given or endorsed by or on behalf of the Energy Institute.

If you’re keen to follow in Deepa’s footsteps, click to find more about how to become a Fellow of the Energy Institute (FEI).