Renewable Energy and the New York State Mesonet

New York State is now deploying, as part of a state-wide “meso-network”, 125 surface meteorological and hydrological observation stations, including 17 sites with LiDAR wind profilers paired with microwave radiometers. This “New York State Mesonet” (NYS Mesonet) will be the most advanced permanent network of its type in the world. With increasing penetration of renewables on the grid, there is a need for utilities, wind farm operators, and other interested parties (i.e. the New York Independent System Operator) to identity potential threats to the grid stability such as imminent ramp events (that is, large short-term swings in wind and solar power generation). Deployment of NYS Mesonet will also facilitate wind and solar resource assessment, reducing future generation (meteorological) uncertainties and financial (“bankability”) risks associated with siting utility-scale and distributed generation facilities throughout the State. Considering the multiple terrain types characteristic of New York (that is, valleys, mountains, and coastal regions), a dense network of locally representative 3D observations is necessary to capture the local and regional circulations responsible for the boundary layer wind fields and daytime sky conditions that present siting and forecasting challenges for renewable energy resources in the State.

Here, we present 1) details of the New York State Mesonet in the context of renewable energy applications