The new forecasting tool developed by S2S4E can help companies reduce climate-related risk by providing global weather outlooks for up to three months ahead, said CICERO researcher Jana Sillmann at a recent event in Norway.
“This will give businesses more time to prepare for the weather that is to come,” she said at the event “Solution drinks”, which took place at Kulturhuset in Oslo on 26 September.
Sillmann was one of nine scientists from different research institutes in Norway who had been invited to present solutions to some of the great environmental and climate challenges of our time.
The new sub-seasonal to seasonal forecast service – the S2S4E Decision Support Tool – has been specifically developed for the energy industry, and thus shows forecasts for wind speed and solar radiation, in addition to temperature and precipitation, for up to three months ahead.
Useful for all weather-dependent industries
“This can for example help operators of renewable energy power plants plan for maintenance of their wind turbines or solar panels during periods when solar or wind power generation is expected to be low,” Sillmann said.
“It can also help hydropower companies regulate water levels in their dams, for instance for flood protection,” she added.
It is not just the energy sector that can benefit from using this tool, however. All weather-dependent industries can benefit from using it, she said.
Free to use for everyone
“The tool can be used by anyone, and individuals can for example use it to plan when and where to go on holiday, or whether it’s better to spend vacation at home,” Sillmann said.
The event was live streamed and you can watch Sillmann’s presentation here (fast forward to 48:30 mins into the video). Most of the event was in Norwegian, but Sillmann’s presentation was in English.
S2S4E is a project funded by the EU’s research and innovation programme Horizon 2020, which is working to make long-term forecasts more reliable and useful. Its new forecasting tool was launched in June and will be free to use at least until November 2020.
You can access the S2S4E Decision Support Tool here.
Written by Iselin Rønningsbakk / CICERO.