Solution

Meteo for CSP offers accurate weather forecasts adapted to the needs of solar thermal power plants (CSP). The service helps you:

• Maximize energy production. Accurate and reliable DNI forecasts to optimize energy production.
  
• Minimize risks. Reduce existing risks in operation and maintenance (O & M) to safeguard plant components and extend service life of the plant.
  
• Reduce deviation costs. Adaptation to daily, intraday and continuous market.
  
• Every minute meteorological forecasts. Anticipate operation to radiation fluctuations.
• Cost reduction. Reduce technical and financial risks related to weather conditions.

Products / Technology

Weather forecast system up to 40 minutes  with a sky-camera

Camera images (taken with a camera installed in the plant) are updated every minute in order to forecast:

• cloud cover in the sky
• cloud movement (speed and direction)
• direct normal irradiance (DNI) in the solar field

Forecasting time-horizon will depend on the speed and direction of the clouds as well as on the solar position (azimuth and elevation).1min-40 min and a distance up to 20 km from the plant.

Obtain an efficient operation during DNI fluctuations, sunshine and sunset.

Weather forecast system  for the next 3 hours with satellite imagesite

Satellite images show:

• cloud cover in the sky
• cloud movement (speed and direction)
• direct normal irradiance (DNI) in the solar field
  

Satellite images can cover spaces below ~1 kilometer per pixel every 15 minutes giving this way accurate information for the DNI forecast. 

Obtain an optimum integration of the energy production of the plant to the net

Weather forecast system up to 168 hours with meteorological models

Meteorological models make accurate forecasts up to 48 hours (2 days) with the possibility of extending that forecast up to 8 days for a specific location.

Hourly forecasts of different variables:

• Solar radiation: DNI, solar elevation and cloud cover.
• Other variables: temperature, precipitation, pressure, wind, etc.

Optimize energy integration in daily markets and manage  intermittences with lolng-term forecasts

Plataform - Meteo for CSP