The energy sector has some of the most advanced users of weather and climate information, given the considerable effects of day-to-day weather and longer term climate variability on energy supply, demand, transport, distribution and markets. As the transition to renewable sources and sector-wide resilience have become key priorities for the energy sector, information on climate variability and change are increasingly needed to ensure energy security and efficiency. The industry’s rapid innovation, in turn, results in swiftly evolving needs, presenting an added challenge.
In this context, greater collaboration among meteorologists, climate experts and energy providers is critical to meeting the challenges ahead. To this end, a summer course on Climate and Energy was held from 4-7 July 2016 at the University of Anglia in Norwich, United Kingdom.
The course was co-organised by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS), and the World Energy & Meteorology Council (WEMC), with support from the European Union project European Provision Of Regional Impacts Assessments on Seasonal and Decadal Timescales (EUPORIAS). The course was designed to bring energy practitioners up to speed with currently available weather and climate modeling and forecasts at different timescales, while also creating awareness about the possibilities for applying weather and climate information in the energy sector and fostering dialogue between the meteorology and energy communities.
The course was attended by 28 students from 16 countries, combining developing and developed world institutions and climate and energy experts. Experts delivered lectures on a diverse set of topics including weather and climate services for the energy sector, world energy overview and climate change communication. To stimulate peer-to-peer learning, participants broke into smaller groups and prepared mini-proposals for energy climate services. The innovative energy climate services proposed were specifically tailored to hydropower generation in Colombia, solar farms in Moldova, optimized and resilient power systems in Southeast Asia, and the energy sector in small island nations.
The course was well-received by participants, who found the topic highly pertinent to their work. “We found the course extremely beneficial as it covered a wide range of topics, and a great mix of organisations and countries. I can apply the information and techniques that were developed in the break out groups directly to the work I’m focused on,” said Caroline Acton, Senior Business Development Manager for Energy at the United Kingdom Met Office.
For more information, visit http://www.wemcouncil.org/wp/events/summer-course-climate-energy/