Harnessing Weather Intelligence for Secure, Reliable & Economic Operations?in?the Power?Sector

The weather has a significant impact on the power sector, the consumption, production, transmission & distribution are directly dependent on variables of weather and especially renewable energy production is highly dependent on weather. The sector faces the challenge of providing a continuous power supply?to demanding customers while keeping service interruptions at a minimum, no matter what weather conditions.

Weather & Energy - Consumption & Demand Variability

The supply and demand must always be aligned for a balanced grid. The sector faces pressure from governments & regulators for enhancing the share of renewables in the energy mix and therefore investments in the sector are growing. For utilities, large fluctuations in renewable energy production, therefore, pose a challenge.

Impact of Weather on Renewable Output

Production of renewable energy is subject to strong fluctuations which are, on the one hand, dependent on the weather daily and, on the other hand, are also subject to seasonal fluctuations. Therefore, especially short-term, local and precise weather data is of great importance. But medium and long-term weather forecasts are also important for the seasonal planning of energy procurement and distribution.

How Weather Affects Power Distribution & Transmission

Distributors need to precisely forecast their regional demand, which then must be brought into balance with the energy supply required. Inaccurate demand forecasts lead to more challenges in intraday operations, higher costs and thus reduced profits. Hence Distribution companies need accurate forecasts and various other indices to get demand forecasts coming close to reality.

The capacity of the transmission network varies due to temperature, and lack of proper weather information leads to an inefficient or even restricted use of the network, and thus to significant losses. Therefore, for Transmission companies, accurate forecasts, easy-to-use platforms and reliable services are indispensable.

Site Evaluation – Minimizing Risk Maximizing Earnings

Companies intending to set up or invest in renewable projects need to know the potential of the site, these are long-term investments. Based on historical weather data, analyses can be performed for specific locations based on wind speeds or radiation at the site. Through these analyses, yield potential can be estimated, which greatly reduces the planning risk, and profits can be maximized with weather forecast data.

For these analyses to be as reliable as possible, locally precise weather data are of paramount importance. This creates planning security and decisions can be made with confidence.

Weather Data to Accelerate the Energy Transition

Accurate weather data helps to better integrate renewable energy into the power grid, allowing renewable energy to be used more cost-effectively. Renewable energy is more economical & also climate-friendly, but its variability is a challenge, therefore operators want to optimize the energy mix. With over 160 gigawatts of India’s installed renewable capacity, even a 1% higher integration of renewables can earn hundreds of crores of profits per year.

Being able to?forecast local weather conditions?over the next day or two is a critical factor in?planning operations?and making effective power purchase decisions.?Renewable power companies need precise weather information to estimate power generation, safeguard assets and schedule maintenance.

Skymet analyses high-resolution satellite images, and data received through its network of IoT devices for a better understanding of atmospheric conditions for weather forecasting. A subjective judgement is made of the forecast based on current surface observations.

Skymet Services for Power Sector

1. Weather forecasts: Temperature, wind, humidity, rainfall forecasting 7-day daily forecast with 15-minute intervals in easy-to-read reports accessible through an online platform and emails sent to your mailbox. These reports are supporting many large players in the power sector with demand forecasting, managing power price fluctuations, production forecasting etc.
2. Site Evaluation: Radiation & Wind analysis for Solar & Wind energy projects, helps you understand the expected power production to make informed investment decisions. Based on historical radiation and wind analysis, renewable energy producers can get an accurate estimation of the power generation expected.
3. Performance Audit of existing Solar & Wind Energy Projects: Analysis of radiation and wind data to verify the energy produced vs claimed.
4. Alerts of inclement weather to infrastructure & plan line restoration
5. Transmission Network Analysis: Skymet remote sensing team can map the transmission route, Identify each land parcel on the route based on a given classification (forest, farm, barren land, defence land, water body, powerline, highway or railway crossings etc), use its proprietary land ownership data to map land parcels with owners, develop transmission network with LatLong details of each tower.

Skymet has been supporting clients in the power sector to forecast demand/supply & make informed power purchase decisions, safeguard assets and reduce downtime. Our dedicated team of meteorologists and data scientists are continuously monitoring and analyzing weather parameters to give our clients an edge in daily, weekly and fortnightly operations planning through carefully curated reports.

Businesses in the power sector that want to optimize costs & maximize profits should consider leveraging advanced weather intelligence platforms from an experienced weather forecaster. Armed with accurate forecasts and trend analyses, these businesses are better equipped to make weather-sensitive operational decisions.

To know more about our solutions or to book a demo visit our website www.skymetweather.com/corporate or write to us at [email protected]