Using GIS for renewables
What is the connection between Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and renewable energy? Weather and climate events or ground conditions are geographical factors that influence the output of a renewable power plant, just as a power plant influences the external environment in which it is located. GIS systems ensure harmony in the interaction between renewable infrastructure and the external environment.
A solar panel, wind turbine, hydroelectric dam, or geothermal well are all types of technology with a specific location. They are therefore true geographical elements, and for this reason their efficiency, performance, and level of sustainability are strictly dependent on geographical factors.
These are factors such as weather and climate events, soil quality, the geological conditions of the land and its characteristics (e.g., water availability) or other elements that may influence wind speed or sun irradiance.
When they come into contact with these factors, renewables produce geographical data, which can be analyzed by geospatial digitalization, and thus by Geographic Information Systems, commonly called GIS.
What is GIS?
GIS (Geographic Information System) is a tool that manages and analyzes data, linking them to a map and associating the location of geographical features with corresponding descriptive information.
With GIS then, not only can geographical data be visualized: any kind of information that has a location associated with it can be processed and analyzed. These systems work thanks to thematic or geographical layers, which are the set of homogeneous elements that make up a map. For example, a geographical layer might consist of all the buildings that are located in a given area, or all the roads, but also earthquake epicenters or soil conditions.
Forecasting the weather with geospatial digitalization
Power generation from wind farms depends on wind intensity, while that of photovoltaic parks is related to irradiation and snow cover, while hydropower generation relies on water flows. The effects of climate change such as drought, torrential rain, and extreme weather events can also have an impact on renewable energy production.
In order to predict these events and plan energy production more effectively, Enel Green Power uses the geospatial digitalization of renewable plants, through the GIS Portal platform integrated with accurate geographical data. It has also been enriched with more than 70 weather parameters (historical, real time and forecast) which are updated four times a day, thereby enabling the operation of several specific applications.
MeteoGIS is the application that enables the management and analysis of the hourly weather parameters of renewable plants three days in advance. It also functions as a weather warning system, as it can predict the impact of adverse weather phenomena on power plants (e.g., thunderstorms, snow, hail, and lightning).
Hydra is the GIS application that is used for short-term forecasting in hydropower plants: it calculates – for the next three days – the flow rate of water in the collection areas at power plants, through temperature and rainfall forecasts; it enables the safe management of adverse weather events; and it improves water use in order to avoid waste and create greater efficiency.
Anemos, on the other hand, takes its name from the Anemoi, the wind gods in Greek mythology. It is the GIS solution that can predict the available power and energy produced by each individual turbine for the next seven days through specific forecast curves for each turbine model.
Helios is also named after afigure in Greek mythology, namely the god of the sun. This GIS application can predict the power and energy produced by a photovoltaic system by analyzing data on solar irradiance, weather conditions, and system characteristics (such as module orientation, tilt and tracker type).
A digital twin in real time
By managing huge data streams with GIS, it is also possible to ensure real-time monitoring of the status of all renewable power plants.
This is what the Real-Time GIS Web App does. It’s a digital application that enables power plant operators to monitor asset performance directly from a map and correlate sensor data with weather data, as well as data from field inspections.
Staff at hydropower plants can also useDam Behavior which, when combined with GIS, introduces an innovative digital twin on a 3-D map for each hydropower dam, and enables the real-time activation of manual or sensor-sourced control measurements and the picking up any signs of anomalies such as deformation, extension, rotation and other phenomena.
It is through these tools that we are able to identify potential critical issues for plants before they occur, and to act promptly by re-establishing normal power generation.
GIS is also good for the environment
As objects with a physical location, renewable energy plants must be in harmony with the environment around them. And here, too, geospatial systems make a significant contribution: the Environmental Engine digital system can calculate and mitigate the environmental impact of all power plants. It does so by using four KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) that measure a plant's environmental and biodiversity protection levels, which provide the basis for the results of Enel's annual Sustainability Report.
GIS systems are also used in innovation when new business models are evaluated – such as the hybridization of renewable power plants, or the installation of solar modules over hydroelectric channels. Indeed, in these cases, prefeasibility analysis is carried out in all its phases using geographical systems, from the analysis of the local area and meteorological data, to that of constraints and possible impacts on the permitting process, and even to the design and economic evaluation.