The renewable energy sector places a paramount emphasis on accurate weather forecasting. Wind farms rely on predicting tomorrow’s wind strength, solar energy demands insights into sun intensity, cloud cover, and related factors, while hydroelectric power needs assessments of flood and drought risks.
The landscape of renewables has encountered a new challenge with the advent of climate change. Unprecedented volatility in weather patterns has made predicting and adapting to conditions more challenging, impacting the reliability of power generation.
In the realm of renewable energy, such unpredictability underscores the critical role of actionable weather intelligence in planning, managing, and ultimately ensuring consistent power generation. Discover why every renewable company should prioritize investment in weather intelligence for enhanced operational resilience.
Millions Lost by Renewable Energy Companies Each Year Due to Weather
Solar Plants
Cloud cover: On a partly cloudy day, production can drop by 10% to 25%, costing solar operators more than $5.25 billion a year.
Heat: For each degree above 25°C, PV panels become 0.3% to 0.5% less efficent.
Hail or lightning: Can damage your PV panels, which cost an average of $16,000 to replace.
Wind Farms
High Winds: While turbines are meant to harness wind energy, they can also be damaged by wind gusts.
Hail or lightning: Can damage turbines, which cost up to $2.2 million.
Extreme temperatures: Many turbines are located in remote areas, which are subject to extreme temperatures swings ranging from -30°C to 55°C. Overheating or icy conditions in gearbox can cause critical damage, resulting in expensive repairs.
Hydropower
Drought: In a severe drought, electricity generation levels can drop as much as 88%.
Floods: Flooding can overwhelm and damage the transformer and electrical equipment within hydro systems.
Lightning: Electric surges from lightning strikes can damage computerized control units.
Adapting to the Weather with Buluttan
For each sector which in renewable energy, both everyday weather conditions and extreme weather events wield a significant influence on energy production and financial outcomes. Whether it’s the potential damage to valuable equipment or the loss of energy production during a storm, weather-related challenges consistently impact your bottom line.
This underscores the critical need for precise and actionable weather intelligence to drive your operations. If you find yourself relying on the same weather forecast for daily attire decisions as you do for managing your operations, it signals the importance of upgrading your approach. Ensure operational resilience and financial efficiency with accurate and tailored weather insights for your industry.
Seize the opportunity to automate operational decision-making and action plans, enhancing efficiency, mitigating risks, and minimizing unnecessary costs. Empowered by Buluttan, harness the potential of upcoming weather patterns to with SkyWatch, find safe places to sit for assets and in case of possible damage it really due to the weather with Meteospective, optimize due to demand and maximize output in hydro, solar, and wind energy sectors. Now is the moment to integrate smart automation for a more resilient and cost-effective approach to energy operations.
