News

AWS Truewind Wins AESO Forecasting Bid

February 27, 2007

AWS Truewind was selected by the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) to participate in the first wind forecasting study in Canada. The study marks a significant step toward integrating more wind power into the Alberta electricity grid. AWS Truewind is one of three forecasting firms selected to participate in this important study, and is the only firm based in North America. The study, which is scheduled to run from March 2007 through March 2008, will examine varying wind patterns over the complex terrain in the Canadian province. The study is expected to “substantially contribute to developing a made-in-Alberta solution for wind power that will work for the system operator, wind developers, the competitive power market, and the citizens of Alberta”, according to the AESO.

For up to a dozen wind plants, AWS Truewind will employ its eWind® service to provide forecasts to the AESO. Explains Dr. John Zack, a Principal for AWS Truewind and its Director of Forecasting Operations, “As we’ve demonstrated in several other utility systems, accurate production forecasts are an essential component of wind’s integration into energy markets.  Wind forecasts greatly enhance the value of wind energy on the grid.”

eWind is a state-of-the-art automated forecasting service developed by AWS Truewind in the 1990’s to meet the wind energy industry’s need for accurate plant output forecasts anywhere from several minutes to several days in advance.  AWS Truewind already supplies forecasts for numerous wind plants in Canada, the United States, and Europe, and is the wind forecast provider for the California Independent System Operator.