Project supported by CAF improves the quality of energy production forecasts

CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, participated in the closing event of the project "Incorporación de Pronósticos de Generación Eólica y Solar a la Operación del Sistema Eléctrico (Pronos)" (Incorporation of Wind-Powered and Solar Generation Forecasts to the Operation of the Electric System), developed since 2015 jointly with the Administración del Mercado Eléctrico (ADME) (Electricity Market Administration).

The technical cooperation between both organizations was carried out in the framework of the transformation of the electric matrix that is taking place in Uruguay, and the main objective was to improve the quality of the wind-powered, solar, and hydraulic energy production forecasts used in the country, for an optimal administration of the resource. 

Gianna Gregori, Senior Executive at CAF's Public Sector, highlighted the "successful and replicable" alliance and work carried out for more than one year by a specialized team, with the objective of promoting the country's development in this area. 

She pointed out that "CAF seeks to be present in the sectors where it can add value, and energy is one of them. Currently, 70 percent of the loans we have financed in Uruguay deal with energy. In this specific case, a more comprehensive vision was sought. Our aim is to strengthen both the operational and regulatory areas, supporting professional training for those who work in the Uruguayan Interconnected System". 

At the same time, Olga Otegui, President of ADME and National Director of Energy, expressed her gratitude to CAF for its participation in the project, which she described as "important for the national electric system". She explained that "having variable forecast tools that enable the improvement of simulation models" will help "manage the demand" in an optimal manner". 

She added, "One of the objectives that we recommended in this administration was to change Uruguay into an energy exporter. Today we can say that for four years we have not imported energy, and we are exporting to the two neighboring countries with which we have an interconnection system". Improving the tools to manage the electric system with the required precision will allow us to have better packages to sell". 

On the same subject, the coordinator of the research in the case of wind-powered energy and member of the Instituto de Mecánica de los Fluidos e Ingeniería Ambiental Fluid Mechanics and Environmental Engineering Institute), Alejandro Gutiérrez, explained that in the case of the Uruguayan system, with a strong participation of wind-powered energy and increasingly solar energy which needs to cover the demand permanently, it is essential to know what the future generation will be. 

He added, "It is essential for exchange in the region. To be able to export, with the economic benefit it entails for the country, it is necessary to know how much energy we are going to have in the parks tomorrow".  

Gutiérrez pointed out that the project organized the techniques currently used in Uruguay, evaluated the advantages of each, and analyzed which are the ones that should be applied to improve the forecasts. He concluded, "We advanced in the methodologies to achieve a better approach of uncertainties".