UTSA forecasting model used by U.S. Department of Energy and major utility companies
March 30, 2015 | posted by The Institute
By: KC Gonzalez
Director of Communications & Special Projects, Office the Vice Provost for UTSA Downtown & Academic and Faculty Support
(March 9, 2015) -- Due to advancements in solar technologies, lower production costs and its long-term availability, solar power has become a major clean energy source across the nation.
The challenge of closely accounting for solar energy over the earth is that the sun’s irradiance and cloud patterns are constantly changing, making it difficult to know how much solar energy can be used for electric power generation and how much it will affect building energy demand. In addition, the energy produced by the sun affects how much we heat or cool our buildings. This delicate balance of supply and demand on the electric grid creates an opportunity for a more intelligent management system.
UTSA researchers within the Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute (TSERI) have developed a solar forecasting model that predicts how much irradiance the sun will produce from five minutes in advance up to one day ahead. This allows power utility operators to better anticipate solar power generation and to understand the patterns of electricity demand, so they can better forecast, plan for and coordinate load demands.
The comprehensiveness of the UTSA forecasting model and its reliability metrics has made it the product of choice in a project with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Omnetrics (joint venture of Siemens and Accenture) and major utility companies CPS Energy and Duke Energy.
“TSERI provides the work environment for trans-collaboration that produces exciting innovation and practical results,” said Rolando Vega, Ph.D., a research director at TSERI. “We want to push the boundaries of imagination and create new amazing energy technologies in the process.”
UTSA is on the forefront of sustainability research, creating new knowledge and finding top-tier solutions to real energy problems in San Antonio, the nation and beyond.
The Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute at UTSA was established in 2010 to serve as a catalyst for coalescing the many energy research and education projects underway at the university. Specializing in the areas of energy, water and sustainability, the institute maintains strong partnerships with CPS Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, private energy companies, universities and nonprofits.
The Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute at UTSA was established in 2010 to serve as a catalyst for coalescing the many energy research and education projects underway at the university. Specializing in the areas of energy, water and sustainability, the institute maintains strong partnerships with CPS Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, private energy companies, universities and nonprofits.
