Fulcrum3D produces market-leading data derived from its seamless integration of hardware, software, and data analytics. This full-stack ownership of the technology ensures that developers, generators and asset managers can be guaranteed accuracy, traceability and data security.
Its technology is already used by leading global renewable energy developers operating in Australia to enhance the bankability of their projects. With systems already deployed in Australia, China, Europe, India, Middle East, South America and the Pacific Islands, Fulcrum3D’s flagship Sodar technology currently provides pre-build energy assessment data on over 10GW of proposed wind energy developments.
Fulcrum3D also provides operational performance monitoring on over 2,000 MW of utility-scale solar as well as forecasting services for well over 2,000 MW of wind and solar generation on Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM). Its solutions address several challenges in the NEM.
These include inaccurate near-term generation forecasting of wind and solar generators, which can adversely affect system security (grid stability). The inaccuracy results in the market operator (AEMO) having to procure frequency control ancillary services (FCAS) to rectify these errors and ensure grid frequency remains stable. AEMO recovers these costs from the generators responsible for them, and these costs have led to many projects not delivering their anticipated investment return.
With the support of grant funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), Fulcrum3D successfully commercialised its forecasting technology to drastically reduce and, in many instances, eliminate these FCAS costs.
Fulcrum3D’s innovative CloudCAMTM technology is the cutting edge of on-site real-time solar forecasting. It identifies, tracks, and predicts cloud movement over solar arrays. This helps manage the power output effects, enables higher solar penetration, and reduces the need for alternative generation, and, when utilised, optimises the use of battery storage systems.
Fulcrum3D’s sodar units provide accurate wind resource data at a fraction of the cost of traditional met masts. Being trailer mounted, they can also be used in areas inaccessible to MET masts. Palisade Integrated Management Services engaged Fulcrum3D for Snowtown 2 Wind Farm (270MW) to provide 5-minute self-forecasting services.
Josh Lowndes, Asset Engineer, Palisade Integrated Management Services, said, “The experience led us to transition our entire wind farm fleet to Fulcurm3D for self-forecasting services. This includes Waterloo Wind Farm (131MW) and Granville Harbour Wind Farm (111MW), a total of 512MW.
“Waterloo Wind Farm actively uses self-forecasts, regularly achieving a causer pays factor (CPF) of zero resulting in no regulation FCAS fees.”
Dr Colin Bonner, Managing Director & Co-founder, said: “I am incredibly proud of how far we have come to create a world-class company from our humble beginnings.
“The next few years are crucial for us. This capital injection will further accelerate our international expansion, scale our manufacturing capabilities, expand our marketing, and accelerate our R&D. With greater renewable penetration, the need for access to cheaper but yet reliable and real-time resource information is continually increasing.
“We have had great Australian results and have our eyes on accelerating growth in international markets, so we can facilitate the global transition to renewables by providing the most accurate forecasting data on the market.
“The global renewables market is growing rapidly as countries decarbonise, and Fulcrum’s total addressable market is forecast to be $AUD1.8bn by 2025. Proceeds from the current capital raising will be used to accelerate Fulcrum3D’s international expansion, particularly in the US, where initiatives from the Biden administration are accelerating renewables penetration. Already profitable, Fulcrum3D is anticipating strong interest from both institutional and strategic investors in the current capital raising process.
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.