meteocontrol Releases Germany Solar Eclipse Analysis

Findings point to advantages of predictive analysis for long term grid stability

News provided by

Shunfeng International Clean Energy Limited

Apr 01, 2015, 06:31 ET

AUGSBURG, Germany, April 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- meteocontrol, a leading weather and solar power forecast analysis company, today released its solar eclipse data following the solar eclipse that took place on March 20^th. The analysis shows how the company was able to predict the extreme fluctuations during the eclipse, in advance of the event itself. Findings show that as the sun receded, solar power dropped from roughly 13 gigawatts to 5 gigawatts within 45 minutes, and returned to 20 gigawatts within the same time period.

"Our findings show that what Germany experienced on March 20^th equates to the output of eight nuclear power plants that are cut off from the grid within an extremely short period of time," said said Robert Pfatischer, one of the two managing directors of meteocontrol. "This volatility however should not endanger the grid at all if one is able to predict it in advance as we have, and ensure back up supply."

During the eclipse, the moon covered between 66 and 83 percent of the sun in Germany, posing a major challenge for managing the 1.4 million photovoltaic systems connected to the electrical grid. Thanks to precise forecasts however, the grid was able to offset the solar input fluctuations through other sources, allowing power supply to remain stable and blackout-free. In addition to servicing customers, the meteocontrol's accurate forecast mitigated the risk experienced by energy trading companies.

meteocontrol is a subsidiary of SFCE, headquartered in Augsburg (Germany), which offers highly precise solar power forecasts in every corner of the world. The company's solutions combine and compare multiple international weather models in conjunction with data recorded from across more than 37,000 solar systems. Through combining real time solar power generation and weather pattern analytics, meteocontrol, provides exact predictive forecasts, backed up by real operating data.

About meteocontrol

meteocontrol, EU headquarter based in Augsburg, Germany and APMEA headquarter based in Shanghai (China), with offices and branches in Lyon (France), Madrid (Spain), Milan (Italy), Alameda (U.S.A.) and Moers (Germany) offers energy and weather data management, yield reports, quality audits and technical due diligence as well as monitoring and technical operations management of PV systems of all sizes. meteocontrol has more than 30 years of expertise in renewable energy systems and has so far been involved in projects with a total investment volume of more than 13 billion euros. The company currently conducts technical operation management for systems with a total power of around 500 MWp. In addition, meteocontrol is the market leader for professional remote monitoring of PV systems. meteocontrol monitors around 37,000 PV systems around the globe with a total power of over 9.8 GWp. meteocontrol is a member of SFCE Shunfeng International Clean Energy Limited.