The better you can optimize the flow of electricity in a power grid, the more energy you save and the fewer planet-warming greenhouse gases you generate. But that’s easier said than done.

Supply and demand fluctuate month by month, day by day and hour by hour. On top of that, there are a host of constraints to take into account. To date, no one has come up with an algorithm that can consistently find the optimal answer in every situation — at least, not in a reasonable length of time. Instead,…