Solar and wind power forecasts for hybrid power plants

Microgrids and off-grid solar and wind power systems are becoming more and more common as there is a concrete will to use renewables for remote sites.

Power forecasting for off-grid projects and microgrids enables to more efficiently pilot hybrid systems using both PV/wind and another source of energy, such as diesel generators or thermal power plants.

For hybrid projects using PV, the use of a sky camera for minute-scale forecasting helps to take the right decisions on when to launch or stop other means of production than solar power.

Save significant amounts of fuel

Thanks to minutely forecasts, the whole installation can considerably reduce its spinning reserve. As a result, forecasting allows for important fuel savings.

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Solar and wind power forecasts help lower the consumption of fossil fuels and therefore reduce CO2 emissions. Furthermore, the consumption of locally produced power avoids losses that would normally occur due to the transportation and distribution of electricity.

Improve system management

When integrated within a microgrid’s energy management system (EMS), solar and wind power forecasts enable a better anticipation of energy flows. Thus, an optimal exploitation of the renewable potential is achieved.

Products & Services for power forecasting for off-grid projects

Minute-scale forecasts, possibly in combination with hour-scale forecasts, are the best solution for planning of diesel generators dispatch schedule and short-term cloud detection within PV microgrids and off-grid projects:

InstaCast™: ultra high resolution cloud and solar irradiance forecasts for the next minutes ahead are provided by InstaCast™, which uses sky images obtained by ground-based all-sky imagers. This service is particularly useful for solar power plant operations when coupled to a storage system (e.g. a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)), or hybrid PV-diesels installations. Read more
HourCast™: Reuniwatt has developed specific algorithms to analyse and process satellite images so as to forecast the clouds’ motion above a specific site or a portfolio of installations. This solution helps to manage off-grid solar power plant operations thanks to frequent updates (every 5 to 15 minutes). Read more

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