Solar forecasting

Energy forecasting and managing company Proa is rolling out its technology at two Northern Territory (NT) defence facility solar farms, with positive implications for scheduling solar energy commitments with certainty.

Observations shared by solar data and forecasting provider Solcast have shed new light on the impressive performances of New South Wales solar farms which dominated the utility PV generation performance rankings last month.

Australian-headquartered solar data specialist Solcast has been acquired by Norwegian energy assurance and risk management company DNV as it seeks to strengthen its solar forecasting services to help maximise the value of PV power plants globally.

Combining satellite images of Australian rooftops with those of real-time cloud cover to create accurate forecasts of distributed solar output for suburbs and perhaps even whole regions and states is the focus of a new Australian startup, Solstice AI. “We’re kind of at a point now where there’s so much solar that it’s causing all these issues but, if we can forecast it, many of these issues can be alleviated or managed much better,” the company’s cofounder and CEO, Julian de Hoog, tellspv magazine Australia.

The International Energy Agency predicts that India will record the world’s fastest growth in energy consumption from buildings through 2040. The energy demand could create a big market for solar installers and equipment providers, particularly in the commercial and industrial sector. While building codes now include provisions for renewable energy integration, effective implementation will be key to ensuring compliance, reports Uma Gupta.

Queensland transmission network service provider Powerlink has announced an “industry-first partnership”with Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology as it looks to improve planning and decision-making for its energy network.

Adelaide-based renewable and microgrid energy solutions firm AZZO is taking advantage of its strong Australian root system to expand into the U.S. market. 

AEMO’s NEM Operations Review of the 2019-2020 Summer finds that mitigation practices helped to prevent what might’ve been a much more difficult summer in terms of the electricity network. However, large-scale and rooftop solar both suffered at the hands of enormous smoke plumes and subsequent forecasting errors.

pv magazine Australia sits down with Fulcrum 3D, the provider of the most accurate ground-based forecasting technologies for the solar and wind sectors. It’s amazing what a difference a bit of knowledge ahead of time can make.

Accurate self-forecasting of yield from renewable energy generators is set to help AEMO manage incoming resources. PVMaster, brings a unique experience to the field of foreseeing the next five minutes in solar production.