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Solar, hydro and wind power plants are in demand. But they would lose efficiency without specialists who know all about the impact of weather and climate on power systems. We tell you what the meteorologists do
Who is a meteorologist
Energy meteorologists are specialists who optimize electricity generation through weather forecasts. They predict short-term and long-term climate and weather changes. The conclusions obtained are needed to design and effectively use enterprises that produce energy.
For example, EuroWind in Cologne makes a living by selling highly accurate wind and cloud forecasts to green energy corporations. With this data, EuroWind customers plan their daily production activities.
Meteorologist is one of the professions of the future that Trends regularly write about.
What does a meteorologist do?
The meteorologists use different tools to solve problems. They analyze a large amount of data from synoptic maps, satellite images, special stations and from the results of meteorological observations, install sensors and track information from them.
So, in order to build an efficient wind farm, it will take at least a year to analyze the wind strength at a potential installation site. Anemometers and ultrasonic sensors are used for this. They are located at different heights in order to obtain the most voluminous amount of accurate data.
In order to ensure the safety and reliability of energy production installations in the long term, a variety of phenomena are studied. For example, when designing a thermal power plant, it is important to examine the area for potential dust storms and heavy rainfall. When they plan to build a hydroelectric power station, they take into account the amount of evaporation from the surface of the water, data on precipitation and the intensity of snow melting.
Even if they conduct power lines, the participation of meteorologists is necessary. They collect information about possible frost and icing of wires, wind speed, extreme temperatures along the entire length of the object.
All this information must be linked to a specific enterprise and recommendations should be developed. He will explain to the customer what parameters, consumption schedules, loading modes and equipment operation should be used. Its conclusions should give a complete picture of the economic viability of the project in terms of climatic conditions.
Skills required in the profession
Such a specialist cannot do without a higher meteorological education and knowledge of physics, which will help to understand the laws of generation, distribution and consumption of energy. However, he will also need a number of other skills – both technical and “flexible”.
- Systems thinking for competent analysis and synthesis of information.
- Hard skills for working with data for accurate forecasts and identifying patterns, including using programming languages.
- Ability to communicate with people from related fields in order to explain to them the impact of different indicators on the design of an object.
- Critical thinking and methodicalness for error-free monotonous work with a large amount of disparate data.
Trends and directions of meteoenergetics
The planet is moving towards a green economy. This means that non-renewable energy sources are gradually becoming a thing of the past. For example, according to estimates from the report of the Ministry of Finance of our country, oil demand by 2050 will fall four to six times compared to 2019. This is facilitated by the agreements of large countries to achieve carbon neutrality.
Companies are also moving towards the transition to solar and wind energy. In our country, for example, the industrial giant Sibur can be classified as such. “Sberbank” transferred its branches to the “green” energy of “AltEnergo”. A solar power plant has been operating on the basis of Logopark Don since 2021 to provide energy to the warehouse complex. And the subsidiary of Polymetal, Svetloye, has been using wind energy since 2019, which, according to experts, allows it to save up to 53 tons of fuel per year.
In the world, companies are gathering in associations like RE100, which set themselves the goal of using only renewable energy sources for 100% of their needs. In recent years, according to the observations of the World Energy & Meteorology Council, the production of solar and wind energy has increased by 2-3 times. During this time, hydroelectric power plants only lost electricity generation volumes.
All this suggests that the demand for high-quality meteorological expertise will grow. At the same time, first of all, the meteorologists will solve issues related to the installation and efficient operation of wind and solar power plants.
Where did the profession come from
The profession comes from meteorology and, according to the Atlas of Emerging Jobs, it finally took shape after 2020. However, in our country it is now difficult to find vacancies in this specialty on job search sites. Therefore, some meteorologists who started their careers in related industries go into private practice.
In the world, on the contrary, it is quite possible to find work in this area. For example, international conferences are held for specialized specialists, where they share their experience in the application of meteorology in the energy sector. The United States has the Texas Electricity Reliability Board, which monitors how the climate affects the state’s generating capacity.
How to become an energy meteorologist
It is better for future meteorologists to start their career path by studying at a university. For example, programs in meteorology or non-traditional and renewable energy sources are suitable for them. In addition, it is possible to undergo professional retraining directly related to meteorological energy.