Webinar: Weather Data Inputs for Power System Modeling: Mind the Gaps

Featured Speaker: Justin Sharp, Principal and Owner, Sharply Focused

About the Webinar: The electricity system is rapidly transitioning to a system in which most of the generation — wind, solar, and hydro — is strongly influenced by weather patterns. Load is also becoming more weather-dependent with the increased electrification of transportation and space heating. And weather powerfully affects energy-limited resources, such as battery storage, and behind-the-meter generation, which are blurring the lines between generation and load and between transmission and distribution. Consequently, accurate power system analysis requires much more detailed weather data than we needed for a fossil-fuel-dominated system with fairly predictable loads. Power system planning studies today require time series data for key weather variables that are temporally coincident, have sufficiently high spatial and temporal resolution, and are robustly validated; however, no such datasets currently exist. The availability of comprehensive weather datasets, together with education and coordination between the meteorology and power system communities, will equip system planners to guide future resource siting and build-out for a reliable, high renewables grid.

ESIG convened a project team, led by Dr. Sharp, to assess the limitations of existing weather data being used in power system analysis and outline a process for producing comprehensive weather datasets that can meet the above needs. This webinar will summarize the key points made in the report, including what is needed, why it’s needed, and current gaps in existing data and modeling methods, and will detail an approach to building a solid, long-term solution.