NOAA enterprise-effort to engage the energy sector. Understanding deeper for better service.

Environmental information is critical for the energy sector, aiding in grid management, production planning, resilience design, and disaster management. As renewable energy rapidly grows in the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change, investments in solar, wind, and battery storage technologies are increasing. The U.S. government aims for substantial electricity from renewable sources in the coming decades, enhancing energy security, reducing environmental impacts, and stimulating economic growth. Consequently, accurate data on weather patterns, climate conditions, and natural disasters are essential for optimizing energy production and ensuring system resilience. This transition also requires advanced modeling to efficiently integrate variable energy sources.

The NESDIS User Engagement initiative seeks to identify energy sector needs and how NESDIS can support them, exploring data access and challenges faced by stakeholders.This is a key user engagement thematic area for Fiscal Year 2024. The energy sector aligns with NOAA’s scientific and societal priorities, impacts all NESDIS offices, and plays a crucial role in ensuring access to reliable and affordable energy.

The effort involved a baseline review of energy planning documents and targeted energy stakeholder interviews, with a focus on two specific subsectors: 1) Offshore Wind, including planning and siting, forecasting energy production, and potential external disruptions, and 2) Natural Disaster Impacts to the Grid, including extreme heat and wildfires, hurricanes, severe weather, winter weather, and space weather events.