New initiatives tackle climate and energy challenges on both sides of the Atlantic

The intersection of climate dynamics and energy systems is receiving concerted research attention through two new initiatives on either side of the Atlantic. In the Netherlands, a collaboration has been announced between the Dutch Transmission System Operator (TSO) TenneT and the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) aimed at advancing understanding in the impact of earth’s weather and climate on energy security. Meanwhile, in the US, advancements in AI are being harnessed to enhance the forecasting of space weather.

In the Netherlands, TenneT and KNMI are jointly crafting a research agenda focused on probing how climate alterations, particularly increased reliance on solar and wind resources, influence electricity production and consumption. Margriet Rouhof, the Head of Strategy at TenneT, highlights the initiative’s dual focus, noting that the strategic partnership is not only assessing contemporary challenges faced by grid managers but also anticipates future knowledge requirements.

The initiative seeks to address critical questions such as the resilience of energy infrastructure against future climate conditions. Maarten van Aalst, the Managing Director of KNMI, commented on the collaboration’s relevance, emphasising its role in addressing the opportunities and risks accompanying the transition towards sustainable energy. This venture is expected to inform various aspects of energy systems, from daily operations to the structural parameters of new infrastructure like pylons, considering climate-induced stresses such as extreme winds and heat.

Parallelly, in the United States, the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) has embarked on an ambitious project focusing on space weather, fuelled by a $0.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The principal investigator, Yan Xu, aims to develop an AI-powered forecasting system named SolarDM. This system is expected to refine the predictive capacity concerning solar flares and coronal mass ejections by extending the current forecasting ability from 24 hours to as much as three days.

This project holds promise for enhancing the early-warning mechanisms that are crucial for preparing for space weather events, which can have significant implications for technologies reliant on satellite communications and global navigation systems. The AI system seeks to provide a more detailed mapping of the Sun’s lower atmosphere’s magnetic fields, aiming to improve the precision with which these phenomena can be anticipated and location impacts predicted.

Both initiatives reflect a growing emphasis on environmental sciences and technology to address the interconnected challenges posed by climate and space weather on modern infrastructure. These research efforts highlight the critical need for comprehensive understanding and mitigation strategies in the face of evolving natural phenomena that impact global energy systems.

Source: Noah Wire Services