Renewable energy company signs three year contract for site-specific forecasts

Under the new contract the Met Office's recently-enhanced VisualEyes™ product will be used to provide one of the UK's leading renewable energy companies with forecasts which will help keep on-site personnel safe and plan the most cost-efficient maintenance schedules, eliminating avoidable weather delays.

VisualEyes™ is an intuitive web-based weather monitoring and alerting system which will enable  Innogy Renewables UK Ltd (formerly RWE Innogy) to monitor both current and forecast weather conditions across 36 of its sites across the UK including onshore wind and hydro sites and one offshore wind site. Innogy Renewables UK Ltd will use VisualEyes™ both in their Wind Control Centre in Swindon where it is displayed 24/7 to help with remote site monitoring and maintenance planning, and on-site, helping to protect engineering staff from potentially hazardous weather such as lightning strikes and wind gusts.

VisualEyes™ is accessible on smartphones and tablets giving field-based personnel the latest guidance on impending weather conditions and advance warnings of any possible safety risks.

Adam Oxley, UK Wind Control Centre Manager from Innogy Renewables UK Ltd commented: "We have worked really closely with the Met Office throughout the development of the upgraded VisualEyesTM system. The new design is impressive and some of the added features such as 'SmartWindows' and the improved map layer animations have become essential tools when planning our operations and maintenance. We look forward to continue working closely with the Met Office in the future".

Patrick Sachon, Head of Energy at the Met Office added: "We are delighted Innogy Renewables UK Ltd has chosen our upgraded VisualEyes™ product. It has been developed in conjunction with customers in the energy industry such as Innogy Renewables UK Ltd, and gives safety-critical weather information, allowing engineering managers and site personnel to stay informed and make crucial on-the-ground decisions wherever they are."

In addition, the Met Office is attending WindEnergy Hamburg later this month where there will be live demonstrations of the upgraded VisualEyes™ product.