Weather Data for Energy and Power

Meteomatics detailed weather forecasts are helping businesses within the energy sector gain weather insights, by giving access to a rich database of accurate and detailed weather forecasts.

Meteomatics’ API provides access to a range of weather parameters with incredible detail covering the globe! The API is already consumed and trusted by organizations across the energy industry, including TSOs, DSOs and energy trading companies. Helping them improve operational efficiencies, maximize revenues and mitigate adverse weather impacts.

Key Benefits

• Access accurate weather data by taking into account the detail of the topography (down to 90 meters*) for any lat / long& providing nowcasts in 5 minute timesteps.
• We source high-quality weather & satellite data from leading centers around the globe, adding our own scientific techniques & post processing methods to create highly accurate forecasts.
• Receive the most accurate and up to date weather data possible. Weather forecast requests are calculated ‘on the fly’, using the latest observations.
• Understand past events using historical data (back to 1979) to solve business challenges and compare performance.
• Minimize risk by defining risk windows (alerts) and likelihood of extreme weather events (weather warnings).
• Consume weather data when and where you need it, by making route queries for power lines or data requests for a polygon.
• Quickly integrate our data into your own systems, by selecting from a range of data formats and open source data connectors, such as ArcGIS, C++, Excel , Google Maps, Power BI and many more.

Meteomatics API

Meteomatics RESTful API can be used to retrieve historic, current, and forecast weather data. This includes model data and observational data in time series and areal formats. Areal formats are also offered through a WMS2/WFS3-compatible interface. Geographic and time series data can be combined in certain file formats, such as NetCDF.

In addition to the standard weather parameter available in our API, we have created a number of derived parameters for energy and power use cases:

1) Wind speed (API query: wind_speed_:)

Gives the instantaneous wind speed at the indicated level.

Available altitude levels: 10m - 10000m (continuously)

Available pressure levels (global): 1000hPa, 950hPa, 925hPa, 900hPa, 850hPa, 800hPa, 700hPa, 500hPa, 300hPa, 250hPa, 200hPa, 150hPa, 100hPa, 70hPa, 50hPa, 10hPa

Available speed units: ms, kmh, mph, kn, bft

2) Wind direction (API query: wind_dir_:d)

Gives the instantaneous wind direction at the indicated height in degrees from North. For example, a direction of 45 degrees means that the wind is coming from the Northeast.

Available altitude levels: 10m - 10000m (continuously)

Available pressure levels (global): 1000hPa, 950hPa, 925hPa, 900hPa, 850hPa, 800hPa, 700hPa, 500hPa, 300hPa, 250hPa, 200hPa, 150hPa, 100hPa, 70hPa, 50hPa, 10hPa

3) Wind speed U and V components (API query: wind_speed_u_: / wind_speed_v_:)

Gives the immediate wind u and v components at the indicated level.

Available altitude levels: 10m - 10000m (continuously)

Available pressure levels (global): 1000hPa, 950hPa, 925hPa, 900hPa, 850hPa, 800hPa, 700hPa, 500hPa, 300hPa, 250hPa, 200hPa, 150hPa, 100hPa, 70hPa, 50hPa, 10hPa

Available speed units: ms, kmh, mph, kn, bft

4) Mean, maximum or minimum wind speed (API query: wind_speed_:)

Gives the mean, maximum or minimum wind speed over the specified interval at the indicated level.

Available levels (global): 10m - 10000m (continuously), 1000hPa, 950hPa, 925hPa, 900hPa,
850hPa, 800hPa, 700hPa, 500hPa, 300hPa, 250hPa, 200hPa, 150hPa,
100hPa, 70hPa, 50hPa, 10hPa

Available measures: mean, min, max

Available Intervals: 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

Available speed units: ms, kmh, mph, kn, bft

5) Wind gusts (API query: wind_speed_:)

Gives the wind gusts over the specified interval at the indicated level.

Available levels (global): 10m - 10000m (continuously), 1000hPa, 950hPa, 925hPa, 900hPa,
850hPa, 800hPa, 700hPa, 500hPa, 300hPa, 250hPa, 200hPa, 150hPa,
100hPa, 70hPa, 50hPa, 10hPa

Available measures: mean, min, max

Available Intervals: 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

Available speed units: ms, kmh, mph, kn, bft

6) Wind power kW and MW (API query: wind_power_turbine_<turbine_id>hub_height:)

This parameter gives the wind power in kW and MW for more than 800 turbine models of several manufacturers with hub heights ranging from 10m to 200m.

Available turbines: Turbine List: https://www.meteomatics.com/en/api/available-parameters/power-and-energy/available-turbines

Available heights: continuous from 10m to 200m

Available units: MW, kW

7) Solar power in kW and MW (API query: solar_power:)
Solar power in kW and MW for different tracking types, panel orientations (tilts), and efficiencies. Additionally, topographic shading is taken into account by using a digital terrain model.

Available units: MW, kW

Available specifications:

7.1) Installed capacity (API query: installed_capacity_)

The installed capacity in MW, defaults to 1 MW

7.2) Tracking type fixed (API query: tracking_type_fixed)

Fixed: the panel is fixed on both axes, so orientation and tilt can be specified in the query

7.3) Tracking type azimuth-tracking (API query: tracking_type_azimuth-tracking)

Azimuth tracking: the tilt is fixed and can be specified in the query while the panel orientation is variable (the orientation follows the position of the sun).

7.4) Tracking type tilted-north-south-tracking (API query: tracking_type_tilted-north-south-tracking)

Tilted north-south tracking (also known as polar aligned single axis tracking): the panel tilt is determined by the latitude, the panel rotates around the axis with constant angular velocity.

7.5) Tracking type full tracking (API query: tracking_type_full-tracking)

Full tracking: tilt and orientation are variable, the panel is always facing the sun.

7.6) Solar panel tilt in degrees (API query: tilt_)

The panel tilt is given in degrees, a panel tilt of 0˚ means that the panel is facing straight up, a panel tilt of 90˚ means the panel is facing the horizon.
Defaults to 25˚.

7.7) Solar panel tilt orientation (API query: orientation_)

The panel orientation is given in degrees, where 0˚ means the panel is facing north, 90˚ means east, 180˚ south, 270˚ west.
Defaults to 180˚

7.8) Solar panel critical snow depth (API query: critical_snowdepth_)

If the snow depth is bigger than this value (in cm), the production is started to be damped with a ~1/R relationship, where R is the radiation (see image). The production is lowered by the amount of radiation that cannot penetrate the snow cover.
A value of 0 means that the panel will always be assumed to be free of snow. Defaults to 1.5.

8) Power line oscillation for the past 24 hours (API query: power_line_oscillation_24h:idx)

Power line oscillation warning for the past 24 hours.
Precipitation in the form of freezing rain or wet snow can freeze onto overland power lines. The increase in diameter and mass entail a bigger air resistance and a lower resonance frequency. Strong wind over a sufficient amount of time could then excite the conductors to oscillate near their resonance frequency (sometimes referred to as gallop) and thereby damage the lines and masts.

The warning is binary with 1 corresponding to a warning and 0 to an all clear. Not taken into account are things like constructional details of the power lines or the Joule heat emitted by active power lines.

Technical Documentation

Please visit the technical documentation.