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Renewable energy

windfarm imageAs the world's reserves of coal, oil, and gas begin to disappear, and with the drive to reduce emissions, energy markets worldwide are looking to renewable sources of power to fill the gaps.

Renewable energy is derived from a number of sources, all of which are very long lasting, if not inexhaustible. In the UK the major sources are:

  • wind (both on- and off-shore);
  • sun (powering solar and photovoltaic generation);
  • rainfall (driving hydro generation);
  • the sea (providing generation through tidal and wave action);
  • biomass (using easily replenished energy crops or waste products).

These sources are more than just affected by the weather - in many cases they are the weather.

For wind farms, Met Office services not only help to forecast energy output, but can also help understand where to build and position assets for maximum effect. Our services can help reduce risks inherent in the planning, construction and operational phases of such projects.

Site-Specific Forecasts for wind powered electricity generation

Our unique FSSSI (Forecasting for Specific Sites: System Implementation) service enables us to produce site-specific forecasts based on the longitude and latitude of your site, with added detail to produce forecasts for the exact height of your inlet valve or hub/met mast.

The forecasts provide:

  • hourly data available to T+36;
  • three-hourly data available to T+72.

Parameters include:

  • wind speed;
  • wind direction;
  • temperature;
  • per cent humidity;
  • pressure;
  • gust speed.

Standard Service — offers all the elements described for a site-specific UK location of your choice

Enhanced Service — includes all the elements of the standard service. In addition, where on-site meteorological observations are available and can be sent to the Met Office, it includes a Kalman filtering process to integrate these into the forecast model post-processing to improve forecast data quality and provide a verification of the forecast data against observations.

To discuss the range of services and prices in detail please contact our Customer Centre and ask for Energy sales or e-mail us at energy@metoffice.gov.uk.