3TIER Newsfeed

3TIER and Clean Electric Expand Partnership to Include Russia and Ukraine

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 15:09:32 +0000

3TIER and Clean Electric Expand Partnership to Include Russia and Ukraine

London— 3TIER, a global leader in renewable energy assessment and forecasting, today announced that its partnership with Clean Electric is expanding to include Russia and Ukraine.

Russia and Ukraine collectively have ambitious targets to add over 25GW of renewable energy capacity within the next 10 years. Given these countriesʼ heavy reliance on fossil fuels for electricity generation, these initiatives play an important role in reducing carbon emissions.

3TIER and Clean Electric, who have had great success partnering in Israel to develop a pipeline of pre-qualified wind energy projects, are expanding the coverage of their partnership to include the Russian and Ukrainian markets. A key ingredient of the pipeline is an accurate quantification of the exposure to wind and solar resource risk and uncertainty. Accurate measurement plays a critical role in enabling precise decisions regarding project prioritization and an optimal financial structure. Correct decisions in turn drive quicker adoption of renewable energy.

“Weʼre thrilled to expand the scope of our partnership with Clean Electric ” commented Steve Ross, the Managing Director of 3TIERʼs EMEA region. “Our partnership combines the complimentary skills of each company to increase access to state-of-the-art renewable energy assessment and forecasting within these growing markets. The Eastern European market is of great importance to 3TIER and this partnership will help strengthen our excellent existing relationships as well as foster new global relationships”. Evgeny Kosharovsky, the Managing Director of Clean Electric stated “This further builds on the very positive relationship we have with 3TIER and will enhance the offering that Clean Electric already has in these regions.”

3TIER and Clean Electric are exhibiting and speaking at CISWIND-2013 in Kiev, Ukraine, on March 28th and 29th 2013. Please visit us at the show or visit our website at www.3tier.com.

3TIER Provides Unprecedented Access to 30-Year Climate References

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 13:42:26 +0000

3TIER Provides Unprecedented Access to 30-Year Climate References from the Four Leading Global Re-Analysis Datasets

SEATTLE, WA —

Climate change is on everyone’s mind, but climate variability can make or break a wind energy project. Today, 3TIER announces a new Time Series Tool specifically designed to reveal the risks associated with climate variability on expected wind farm performance.

Predicting 30-years of energy production for a utility-scale wind farm is challenging, particularly with limited observed data and today’s climate uncertainty.

During a recent due diligence energy assessment for a utility-scale energy project in India, 3TIER found that the opinions of the leading global re-analysis datasets differed significantly for the last year. Was it representative of one of the windiest or least windy years of the last 30-years?

The implications for the project were critical; it amounted to the difference between proceeding to build the project and shelving it. Now imagine that same scenario with no foreknowledge of the degree to which the various reanalysis datasets disagreed. Owners and financiers would be unaware of the uncertainty of the climate analysis and its risks. The initial assessment had selected the European reanalysis data because of its better correlations with on-site data. However a good fit with the current year does not necessarily suggest a good fit over the next thirty. 3TIER reviewed all four of the re-analysis datasets, and weighted the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis more heavily than the others, because it better represented more recent climate variability as observed at several operating wind farms in the region.

The 3TIER Time Series Tool displays the annual average wind speeds for each re-analysis dataset for quick side-by-side comparison. ERA-I and NNRP-D were the datasets being considered in the case study.

“Understanding the risk that climate variability represents to a project is critical to its long-term success,” says Dr. Pascal Storck, COO of 3TIER. “Being able to quickly visualize all four re-analysis datasets side-by-side helps you mitigate that risk by choosing the data for your project that best matches your site based on correlation to on-site observations as well as the agreement (or lack thereof) between each reanalysis dataset’s patterns of long-term variability.”

3TIER routinely performs due diligence energy assessments for utility-scale wind energy projects around the globe. When performing the long-term climate correction analysis, rather than utilizing a single long-term reference, an ensemble of sources is utilized to provide a more accurate correction and a comprehensive understanding of the climate uncertainty. The new tool will provide the unprecedented ability to easily understand the uncertainty and risks associated with multiple long-term corrections as opposed to just one.

Tractabel Engineering has been using a beta version of 3TIER’s Time Series Tool to save time. “Choosing a long-term reference data for projects can be complex and time consuming. By providing full access to multiple references we can select the one with the best correlation and appropriate long-term climate signal. Also, the time series are delivered within 24 hours, which allows us to respond on very short notice to the requests of our clients.”

Iberdrola Ingenieria y Construccion uses the tools to improve their site prospecting process. “The Time Series Tool is a great addition to 3TIER's suite of comprehensive energy assessment services. Being able to evaluate the climate variability at a site using the tools has helped to improve the quality of Iberdrola's wind project prospecting. The series are a useful tool in order to prioritize projects with the lowest long-term uncertainty.”

When released, the 3TIER Wind Time Series Tool will provide access to 30-year hourly reference time series from the NNRP, ERA-I, MERRA and CFSR datasets. The annual and monthly averages are displayed side-by-side, so you can quickly assess how well they correlate with each other and with your location. Within twenty-four hours the full time series from one or all of the datasets can be downloaded for any location around the world. Access is provided with a flat rate annual subscription.

To learn more about this offering and its availability, please visit 3TIER at the EWEA Annual Event in Vienna, Austria February 4-7, or contact 3TIER at http://www.3tier.com.

3TIER Is Growing Fast, Sustainably

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 10:30:00 +0000

3TIER Is Ranked on Deloitte's Technology Fast 500™ for Fourth Consecutive Year

SEATTLE—

3TIER®, a global leader in renewable energy risk analysis, today announced it has been recognized for continued strong business growth and its commitment to sustainability. For the fourth consecutive year, 3TIER was ranked on Deloitte's Technology Fast 500™. 3TIER also made its debut in the 2012 Seattle Business Journal Green Seattle Awards as an award winner in the Technology/Clean Tech category.

3TIER utilizes cutting-edge science, big data, and massive computing resources to accurately forecast utility scale wind and solar power – for the next five minutes through the next 30 years. Weather and climate are inherently variable. 3TIER enables our clients to systematically measure and reduce the uncertainty of this variability. Not only does this improve the return on investment for individual wind and solar energy projects, it also provides a critical ingredient for renewable energy to be competitive as a sustainable global energy supply.

3TIER CEO, Craig Husa, remarked, “In times of increasing costs of capital, competitive energy prices, and complex climate signals, 3TIER’s scientific approach toward systematically measuring and reducing uncertainty is crucial for the competitiveness of renewable energy. 3TIER has embraced our client’s demand for a comprehensive approach towards managing renewable energy risk. As a result our services are more in-demand today than at any time in our history.”

“The companies on the Fast 500 list are among those that have demonstrated remarkable innovation, creativity and business savvy,” said Bill Ribaudo partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP and national TMT leader for audit and enterprise risk services (AERS). “As a result, these companies have continued to successfully forge ahead in a challenging economic environment. We applaud the leadership and employees of 3TIER for this impressive accomplishment.” The Deloitte Technology Fast 500 is based on five-year revenue growth and is exclusively focused on the fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, and clean technology companies in North America.

To learn more about 3TIER, visit www.3tier.com.

3TIER Selects Partners in Turkey and Israel

Ed Mahlum — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 13:02:12 +0000

Relationships Will Increase Access to State-of-the-Art Renewable Energy Assessment and Forecasting Across Region

LONDON— 3TIER®, a global leader in renewable energy assessment and forecasting, today announced that it has secured partnerships with TNA in Turkey and Clean Electric in Israel. Going forward these renewable energy engineering consultancies will serve as 3TIER’s exclusive authorized resellers within Turkey and Israel. The new relationships combine the complimentary skills of each company to increase access to state-of-the-art renewable energy assessment and forecasting within these growing markets.

The governments of both Turkey and Israel have instituted strong policies to support the expansion of renewable energy. Israel has revised its initial renewable energy mandate to a more aggressive target of 10% by 2020 and, while traditionally seen as a solar market, recently introduced feed-in-tariffs for utility-scale wind turbines and a quota of 800 MW. Turkey has quickly become a key European market due to its extensive wind resources, rapidly growing energy demand, and strong policies, including a mandate to reach 20 GW of wind power by 2023, as well as feed-in-tariffs and 10-year power purchase agreement guarantees. The new partnerships with TNA and Clean Electric show 3TIER’s dedication to two of the fastest growing markets in Europe and will ensure adequate in-country support for its client base.

“With so many projects coming online so quickly, evaluating project risk and performing adequate due diligence is critical,” said Steve Ross, 3TIER EMEA managing director. “Disqualifying marginal projects early on ensures that only projects with the greatest chance of commercial success are financed and developed. With the support of our partners, our aim is to provide a well rounded assessment offering of the same quality and accuracy expected in the most sophisticated renewable energy markets in the world.”

Both TNA and Clean Electric have extensive expertise managing measurement campaigns, including site surveying, site selection, data analysis, and initial reporting studies. This core competency – collecting quality measurements – fits well with 3TIER’s capabilities. Founded in 1999, 3TIER pioneered combining on-site observations with numerical weather prediction and satellite modeling methods to forecast the long-term potential and expected variability of wind and solar power production. With experience at over 1000 wind and solar projects on six continents, the company's approach typically achieves a higher degree of certainty and provides a more accurate quantification of risk than more traditional methods. Through risk analysis conducted in the US, India, and Australia, 3TIER has helped secure over $5 billion in public and private financing and loan guarantees for the development of utility-scale solar projects. 3TIER is also a dominant force in short-term operational forecasting, serving a large percentage of North America's installed wind capacity.

To learn more about 3TIER, visit www.3tier.com.

Wind Energy Has Arrived in the Pacific Northwest

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:32:14 +0000

Wind Energy Output Exceeds Hydro Output for First Time in BPA

SEATTLE, Wash.—In a region known for its ample hydro energy resources, wind energy production has for the first time surpassed hydro energy output. A windy morning in the Northwest on October 16th, along with a significant build-out of new wind power in the region, resulted in a record generation of wind energy in the Pacific Northwest that accounted for roughly 85% of load in the region. For those involved in the Pacific Northwest energy market, this is a landmark event for wind energy production, and underscores the importance of having a reliable wind power forecast.

Click to download as PDF

3TIER®, a provider of both hydro and wind energy forecasts for the industry’s leading energy marketers, was closely watching the event. Pascal Storck, 3TIER COO, commented, “For those watching, operating, and trading in the region’s energy markets, today marks a milestone. The amount of energy produced by wind has been steadily increasing in the Pacific Northwest, but today is the first time that the amount of electricity generated by wind has exceeded that generated by the region’s hydro system. Passing this milestone means it is even more critical for power traders and system operators to have an accurate forecast of how much power wind energy will produce in advance. 3TIER has a long track record of providing wind energy forecasts in the Pacific Northwest and we are pleased to have provided accurate forecasts of this milestone event to our customers two days in advance.”

Michael Grundmeyer, managing director of risk at 3TIER, added, “Not only is this a lesson showing that significant penetration of wind can bring about a market shift in energy resources, but also that intermittent assets like wind can be accurately forecasted. Energy marketers and asset operators can readily take advantage of these forecasts – days in advance – and benefit from 3TIER’s decision-making tools. Scenario and analog analysis will be critical as we build new paradigms for how our energy systems work and react during big events like the one we just experienced."

For more information about this event, visit: http://transmission.bpa.gov/Business/Operations/Wind/baltwg.aspx