Energinet may be able to estimate solar energy production based on the Danish Metrological Institute’s solar data, and DMI can use Energinet’s production data for its current checks. These were the findings of a prototype process this winter, where DMI and Energinet collaborated on finding out whether there could be a potential in increased data exchange in the field of solar energy.

Small solar power plants on private consumers’ rooftops or the like do not result in the submission of solar energy production data to Energinet. This means that Energinet’s operation of the electricity system in relation to solar energy is only based on data from a few thousand plants, which are then used to make a guesstimate of the total production in Denmark.

At the same time, DMI works with data in a more retrospective way, when the meteorological institute continuously checks how their weather forecasting model and data tally with the reality observed by a large number of weather monitoring stations.

Correlation between data

  A digital analysis of a large number of historical data, measured per municipality for both DMI and Energinet, showed that the potential was there. As Lasse Borup from Energinet explains:
“When we compared the historical data, there was a great correlation between the observations recorded by DMI’s stations and the production we had measured. This showed us that there could be a basis for increasing our present cooperation, and perhaps swap these figures between us to our mutual benefit.”

Also DMI found that the project had value:

“The preliminary results seem to open up some possibilities for better measurements of solar radiation in Denmark,” says Ulrik Kjær Borch, meteorologist at DMI.

Potential for more cooperation

  Ulrik Ankjær Borch says that Energinet is an important partner in development projects in the use of DMI’s data, and elaborates on this:

“There’s no doubt that solar data is just one area of many which holds a potential for increased and better use of data. It’s important that DMI and Energinet continue their good and close dialogue on the possibility of developing new ways of using data. There’s a great need for us jointly to define and develop the tools and meteorological forecast output of tomorrow.”

Energinet also clearly sees the potential of possible future cooperation on exchange of solar data:

“We believe that Energinet will be able to provide a data base based on figures from our production data, which DMI will be able to use to make their checks even better. At the same time, Energinet will be able to prepare better solar energy production forecasts, which will ultimately mean even more secure operation of the electricity system than we already have in Denmark,” concludes Lasse Borup.