AWS Truepower deploys remote sensing equipment in ERCOT territory in Texas to monitor, measure atmospheric data as part of U.S. DOE's US$3.2M Wind Forecasting Improvement Project designed to improve utility operations

Rachel Carter

ALBANY, New York , July 19, 2011 (press release) – AWS Truepower deploys remote sensing equipment in Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) territory marking the commencement of phase one of a multi-year project designed to dramatically improve utility operations

AWS Truepower, LLC, an international leader in renewable energy consulting and information services, today announced the deployment of remote sensing equipment to capture the spatial and temporal characteristics of atmospheric phenomena within the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) territory as part of the Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored Wind Forecasting Improvement Project (WFIP). The program is part of a multi-year, multimillion dollar project funded by the US DOE which aims to improve the state-of-the-art in short-term wind forecasting.

AWS Truepower was selected in late 2010 to lead this $3.2 million project. The first phase of the study -- includes strategic placement of remote sensing equipment to obtain atmospheric data for a suite of models to compare forecasting results with and without instrumentation. The primary objective of this phase is to demonstrate the value of additional atmospheric observations and model enhancements on wind forecasts across the turbine rotor plane.

“In the first phase of the field and modeling program, AWS Truepower’s team will provide real-time- sub-hourly data to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from four sonic detection and ranging units (sodar), one wind profiling radar, and one 200-meter tower at the Texas Tech University Reese Center,” stated Jeff Freedman, Senior Research Scientist at AWS Truepower and Principal Investigator for the project. “The ultimate goal is to improve zero to six hour wind forecasts for utility operators so that we can more effectively predict the timing, magnitude and persistence of wind ramp events.”

Ramp events present a risk to grid stability. Grid operators must balance load and generation when wind power production changes by a substantial fraction of the capacity within a few hours. This project meets an emerging national need for more precise wind forecasts than are currently available according to the US DOE.

“This study also aims to demonstrate cost savings for utilities and operators through improved data and models on short term wind forecasting,” said Bruce Bailey, President and CEO at AWS Truepower. “The accurate forecasting of large ramp events can facilitate the delivery of the right amount of energy by grid operators. This will decrease system costs and ultimately enable larger amounts of wind penetration.”

The partners in this study include Texas Tech University, North Carolina State University, University of Oklahoma, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, ERCOT, and consultants MESO, Inc., and ICF International.

For more information on short term or advanced forecasting techniques visit http://www.awstruepower.com/wp-content/media/2011/05/NAW1105_AWS.pdf or http://www.awstruepower.com/wp- content/media/2010/05/AWEA_Windpower_2007_Forecasting.pdf.pdf

About AWS Truepower, LLC:

AWS Truepower has been an international leader in renewable energy consulting and information services for over 25 years. AWS Truepower’s suite of integrated services and innovative products support the full project lifecycle from resource and energy assessment, independent engineering, and due diligence, to performance assessment and power production forecasting. For more information on AWS Truepower, visit awstruepower.com.

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