EDP system for predicting atmospheric phenomena enters a new stage | EDP Brasil

EDP, a company engaged in energy trading, distribution and production, has just installed weather stations in the municipalities of Cruzeiro, Guaratinguetá, Guarulhos, Mogi das Cruzes, São José dos Campos, São Sebastião, and Taubaté. The launching of the operations marks a new stage in the history of ClimaGrid, a tool developed by the company in partnership with the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) which enables real-time monitoring of atmospheric conditions. This is the only system in the world capable of accurately predicting phenomena such as rain, wind and lightning.

In Espírito Santo, where the company operates in the energy distribution area, the cities of Alfredo Chaves, Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, Pinheiros, Santa Teresa, Sooretama, Venda Nova do Imigrante and Viana have also received the devices.

The installation of these stations represents an important advance in the precision of weather monitoring systems. "Until now, we were able to predict climatic events 24 hours in advance. In this new stage, this period will increase to 72 hours. Moreover, monitoring accuracy will also be improved from the current 90% to more than 95%," says Murilo Marigo, EDP operations manager.

According to INPE, more than 50 million climatic events are reported in Brazil every year. This makes Brazil the country with the highest incidence of lightning in the world. Therefore, the ability to monitor weather variables such as severe storms, heavy rains and high wind intensity in real time has become a topic of increasing relevance for several segments of society.

For the electricity sector, being prepared to handle such occurrences has a direct impact on the quality of the service provided. "Improving the storm forecasting system will allow for better planning by emergency teams. This will enable faster grid restoration procedures, reducing the duration of power interruptions," says Marigo.

The project

Developed by EDP in partnership with INPE, ClimaGrid is a real-time weather monitoring tool. "Created in 2009, the system makes it possible to assess the impact of weather events on the electricity grid, with the forecasting and history of weather variables, and it is the first system of this magnitude available in the country," says project coordinator and INPE scientist Osmar Pinto.

Associated with state-of-the-art scientific research and knowledge within the energy industry, the system was designed to mitigate the risks inherent to climate change processes, improve the services provided by the company, and ensure greater efficiency in the use of the company operational resources.

In 2012 two forecasting tools were implemented on the ClimaGrid system: a short-term tool (24 hours) to assess the incidence of atmospheric discharges, and a medium-term tool to measure the likelihood of lightning activity up to four months in advance.

The tool also enables effective management of emergency teams in the field, reducing displacements. These resources reduce revenue losses for industrial and tertiary customers within the concession areas, improving the quality of the service provided by the Distributor.

Cloud-cloud Sensing

With ClimaGrid, EDP is contributing to the implementation of the Brazilian Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Discharges (BrasilDAT), which was created to measure the occurrence of such incidents. One of the system most salient features is the fact that it collects accurate information on cloud-cloud atmospheric discharges, which play a crucial role in the forecasting of severe storms.

Discharge sensing inside the cloud makes it possible to identify the precise location, size, speed and direction of the event. 

Several algorithms are also being developed and applied to record and monitor cloud-cloud and cloud-ground discharges, as well as tools for the assessment of shutdowns and malfunctions in a variety of assets, such as transmission lines, substations, reclosers, converters, telecommunication sites, etc.