We are delighted to announce that Austin Consultants has been granted funding by Innovate UK to undertake a feasibility study utilising machine learning.
In partnership with our sister company, Green Running, we have worked across the energy and utility industry, and have identified a prototype Satellite Application and Analytics for Renewables Integration (SAARI). The application estimates wind speed and direction, cloud optical thickness and cloud entrance/exit patterns over Renewable Energy (RE) assets using high-resolution satellite earth observation image processing and machine learning techniques.
As new wind and solar capacity are added worldwide, generation using these technologies contribution is anticipated to rise from 5% in 2015 to 30% of the global total by 2040 (BNEF, 2016). This requires improved forecast techniques for the optimal integration of RE into energy systems and markets. SAARI unlocks the access to low cost and scalable RE yield prediction analytics, adding intelligence to energy infrastructure systems.
This feasibility study tests the technical and commercial potential of SAARI, applying cutting-edge technology to improve the accuracy, scalability, user experience and reduce the costs of accessing RE data analytics.