StormGeo Partners with Solcast to Introduce Solar Energy Forecasting

BERGEN, June 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- StormGeo, a world-leading provider of weather forecast services with 22 offices globally, has entered into an agreement with solar power modelling and forecasting company, Solcast. The partnership will deliver the latest forecasting technology for managing increased solar penetration to StormGeo's customers. With the new offering, StormGeo and Solcast will help Transmission System Operators (TSOs) and Energy Traders predict solar power production at higher accuracy, thereby improving efficiency.

As the solar industry in the U.S. moves toward reaching the goals of the SunShot Initiative, which aims to reduce the total costs of solar energy by 75% before the end of the decade, the EU's goal is to be at a minimum of 27% renewable energy by 2030.

"The solar industry is growing rapidly in terms of installed power, and production forecasting is an important element of energy balancing, especially in Europe and the U.S. where the grid is connected to multiple power sources," said Jostein Maelan, StormGeo's Vice President of Renewables. "StormGeo provides highly accurate short-term forecasts to help TSOs predict and balance supply and demand. Knowing where and when the sun will shine, with updated forecasts using real time satellite images, is very important for grid operators to manage startup and shutdown costs of alternative energy sources."

The partnership between StormGeo and Solcast enables the end-users of solar farms to reduce uncertainties in photovoltaic (PV) generation caused by variations in solar intensity and cloud coverage affecting the output from the PV systems. The StormGeo solution forecasts radiation and PV output at one-minute granularity and extends to a week ahead for any location on the planet.

"We are very excited about this partnership with StormGeo, to further enable organizations globally as they manage increasing intermittent solar output," said James Luffman, CEO of Solcast. "Along with demand response and storage, forecasting is one of the most important solutions to the solar intermittency challenge. Our tools couple the capability of the new fleet of third generation geostationary satellites with PV data and modern modelling and data distribution techniques."

"Solar Forecasting is a key element of our long-term vision, and aligns with StormGeo's sustainability initiatives," added Maelan. "By providing high-quality, short-term forecasts for solar power production, we are contributing to making the industry more efficient, more profitable and less dependent on subsidies. We are very proud of that."

About StormGeo

StormGeo is a global provider of advanced analytics and weather forecasting services. StormGeo has leading solutions for shipping, oil and gas, renewable energy, aviation, media and cross industries. Its 22 offices worldwide include seven 24/7/365 operation centers. For more information, visit stormgeo.com.

Solcast

Solcast is a global provider of solar radiation and power modelling and forecasting, with staff and users across five continents. For more information visit www.solcast.com.au

SOURCE StormGeo

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