The prediction of time series data applied to the energy sector (prediction of renewable energy production, forecasting prosumers’ consumption/generation, forecast of country-level consumption, etc.) has numerous useful applications. Nevertheless, the complexity and non-linear behaviour associated with such kind of energy systems hinder the development of accurate algorithms. In such a context, this paper investigates the use of a state-of-art deep learning architecture in order to perform precise load demand forecasting 24-h-ahead in the whole country of France using RTE data. To this end, the authors propose an encoder-decoder architecture inspired by WaveNet, a deep generative model initially designed by Google DeepMind for raw audio waveforms. WaveNet uses dilated causal convolutions and skip-connection to utilise long-term information. This kind of novel ML architecture presents different advantages regarding other statistical algorithms. On the one hand, the proposed deep learning model’s training process can be parallelized in GPUs, which is an advantage in terms of training times compared to recurrent networks. On the other hand, the model prevents degradations problems (explosions and vanishing gradients) due to the residual connections. In addition, this model can learn from an input sequence to produce a forecast sequence in a one-shot manner. For comparison purposes, a comparative analysis between the most performing state-of-art deep learning models and traditional statistical approaches is presented: Autoregressive-Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA), Long-Short-Term-Memory, Gated-Recurrent-Unit (GRU), Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP), causal 1D-Convolutional Neural Networks (1D-CNN) and ConvLSTM (Encoder-Decoder). The values of the evaluation indicators reveal that WaveNet exhibits superior performance in both forecasting accuracy and robustness.

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The processes involved in the metallurgical industry consume significant amounts of energy and materials, so improving their control would result in considerable improvements in the efficient use of these resources. This study is part of the MORSE H2020 Project, and it aims to implement an operator support system that improves the efficiency of the oxygen blowing process of a real cast steel foundry. For this purpose, a machine learning agent is developed according to a reinforcement learning method suitable for the dynamics of the oxygen blowing process in the cast steel factory. This reinforcement learning agent is trained with both historical data provided by the company and data generated by an external model. The trained agent will be the basis of the operator support system that will be integrated into the factory, allowing the agent to continue improving with new and real experience. The results show that the suggestions of the agent improve as it gains experience, and consequently the efficiency of the process also improves. As a result, the success rate of the process increases by 12%.

This paper presents the application of a reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm, concretely Q-Learning, as the core of a decision support system (DSS) for a steelmaking subprocess, the Composition Adjustment by Sealed Argon-bubbling with Oxygen Blowing (CAS-OB) from the SSAB Raahe steel plant. Since many CAS-OB actions are selected based on operator experience, this research aims to develop a DSS to assist the operator in taking the proper decisions during the process, especially less experienced operators. The DSS is intended to supports the operators in real-time during the process to facilitate their work and optimise the process, improving material and energy efficiency, thus increasing the operation’s sustainability. The objective is that the algorithm learns the process based only on raw data from the CAS-OB historical database, and on rewards set according to the objectives. Finally, the DSS was tested and validated by a developer engineer from the CAS-OB steelmaking plant. The results show that the algorithm successfully learns the process, recommending the same actions as those taken by the operator 69.23% of the time. The algorithm also suggests a better option in 30.76% of the remaining cases. Thanks to the DSS, the heat rejection due to wrong composition is reduced by 4%, and temperature accuracy is increased to 83.33%. These improvements resulted in an estimated reduction of 2% in CO2 emissions, 0.5% in energy consumption and 1.5% in costs. Additionally, actions taken based on the operator’s experience are incorporated into the DSS knowledge, facilitating the integration of operators with lower experience in the process.

In this review, the industry’s current issues regarding intelligent manufacture are presented. This work presents the status and the potential for the I4.0 and I5.0’s revolutionary technologies. AI and, in particular, the DRL algorithms, which are a perfect response to the unpredictability and volatility of modern demand, are studied in detail. Through the introduction of RL concepts and the development of those with ANNs towards DRL, the potential and variety of these kinds of algorithms are highlighted. Moreover, because these algorithms are data based, their modification to meet the requirements of industry operations is also included. In addition, this review covers the inclusion of new concepts, such as digital twins, in response to an absent environment model and how it can improve the performance and application of DRL algorithms even more. This work highlights that DRL applicability is demonstrated across all manufacturing industry operations, outperforming conventional methodologies and, most notably, enhancing the manufacturing process’s resilience and adaptability. It is stated that there is still considerable work to be carried out in both academia and industry to fully leverage the promise of these disruptive tools, begin their deployment in industry, and take a step closer to the I5.0 industrial revolution.