Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management and automation, has signed a long-term international wind energy forecasting agreement with Vaisala, a global leader in environmental and industrial measurement and an expert in wind measurement, project assessment, and energy forecasting.
The agreement was signed following a competitive two-month live trial where Vaisala demonstrated superior performance in several key accuracy metrics across multiple forecast horizon times at several independent wind farm sites located throughout North America and Europe. This means that developers and operators can now benefit from best-of-breed wind power and weather forecasting information and an industry-leading software platform along with all of the other management tools Schneider Electric offers within its online decision-support application.
Schneider Electric’s application, known as WeatherSentry Wind Energy Edition, uses next-generation mapping to provide detailed weather forecasting for wind farms around the world. This includes patented alerting technology to signal wind farm personnel about approaching lightning or other severe weather. It also includes dynamic location support through mobile device apps. The application helps wind operators enhance situational awareness and efficiently schedule operations by assessing their risk with respect to multiple weather parameters so that proactive and reactive wind project site activity can be better managed, monitored, and planned.
The wind power forecasts will also be available as part of the Schneider Electric Renewable Control Center solution, an automation tool for renewable power plant performance monitoring, management, and optimization.
This combination of services delivers an improved user experience, particularly for individuals working on operational projects who may not be directly experienced with meteorology and weather markets.
“Irrespective of where in the world wind farm owners and investors are operating projects, it’s imperative to have access to high-quality weather forecasting information to plan for operations and maintenance, maximize production, and safeguard the facility,” said Jon Reifschneider, vice president and general manager of weather at Schneider Electric. “In light of this, and having spent considerable time developing a product that’s tailored to the specific needs of our global wind customer base, it was crucial that we develop a strong commercial partnership with a trusted renewable energy forecast provider. Vaisala consistently demonstrated forecast accuracy and an unrivalled understanding of the market. Through its first-class forecasting technology, Vaisala provides us a strong source of data that can be delivered globally to enable further development and growth.”
According to Pascal Storck, global manager of energy services at Vaisala, “Vaisala and Schneider have enjoyed a longstanding global working relationship, and this latest agreement underlines the strength of this commercial partnership.”
“Working closely with the team and having added considerable forecasting integrity to the platform, the focus over the course of the next 12 to 18 months now lies in continuing to attract new end users to the platform, while at the same time expanding and developing the existing service and reach,” Storck said. “This is likely to include regional wind forecasts in key energy markets.”
— Source: Vaisala
For more information,
go to www.vaisala.com/energy.
