To improve grid stability and boost efficiency in renewable energy generation, the Central Electricity Authority has announced that developers must install automatic weather stations at all wind and solar power plants with a capacity of 50 megawatts or more. This requirement was shared in a notification dated July 7.
In February, the CEA had also issued an advisory encouraging the co-location of energy storage systems with solar power projects to make the grid more stable and cost-effective. Since solar and wind energy rely heavily on weather conditions, inaccurate forecasting has often led to major financial losses under the Deviation Settlement Mechanism.
Highlighting this challenge, the CEA stated, “Accurate measurement of critical meteorological parameters would optimise RE generation. Also, it would improve overall generation predictability, efficiency, enhance grid reliability and ensure regulatory compliance.”
According to the new guidelines, the automatic weather station must be installed within the renewable energy project site. For every 50 MW or more capacity connected to the intra-state network, one AWS must be set up, or as per the rules of the respective State Electricity Regulatory Commission. Plants connected to the interstate transmission system must follow regulations by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission.
For solar plants, the AWS should be placed in areas similar to the rest of the site and irradiance sensors should match the tilt and orientation of the photovoltaic panels. For wind projects, the AWS must be installed where the wind conditions reflect the true site regime, avoiding turbulence or barriers.
The designated AWS area should be 10 by 10 meters, free of buildings, trees, bushes, or equipment that could interfere with readings. The site should also be levelled, cleaned, and sprayed with herbicides to avoid any obstruction.
The AWS must be capable of capturing multiple weather data points such as wind speed and rainfall and must be able to convert this data to a digital format for transmission to the Data Acquisition System.
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