Xcel Energy Tests Sunairio Platform in Grid Reliability Pilot Program

Climate simulation software platform Sunairio has entered a pilot program with Xcel Energy-Colorado to simulate the electric grid of Public Service Company of Colorado, an operating company subsidiary of Xcel Energy, as it adds wind and solar generation capacity.

The program aims to improve the accuracy and increase the granularity of weather data used in grid planning.

Grid planning studies have traditionally quantified weather and energy variability risks by using historical weather data as an analogue for future weather events, says the company, which can fail to capture potential extreme events or account for the effects of climate change. 

The pilot program hopes to overcome these problems by providing high-resolution weather data that both extends into the past and applies the latest intelligence from global climate models when looking to the future.

To achieve these goals, Xcel Energy will start by validating Sunairio’s historical weather and renewable energy generation datasets against both known measurements and proprietary generation data. Then, Sunairio will employ its climate simulation engine to simulate probabilistic outcomes of future hourly weather. These simulations are set to incorporate climate trends consistent with the most current generation of physics-based global climate models.

Finally, Sunairio will model future Xcel Energy’s customer demand, wind and solar generation by applying energy models to the weather simulations.

“We’re thrilled to apply our advanced modeling platform to Xcel Energy’s utility portfolio and show how this technology can support grid reliability in Colorado, with many renewable energy sites, diverse geographies and complicated weather patterns,” says Rob Cirincione, CEO of Sunairio.