R&D Nester presented the article "Forecasting PV/CPV at National Level - Portugal Experience" at the seventh Solar Integration Workshop. It was chosen as one of the six best articles presented at the workshop held in Berlin, last October.

Nuno Souza e Silva, director of R&D Nester, believes that the research carried out in relation to this article could lead to an "improvement in the forecasting of the amount of solar energy that the electricity grid should be able to accommodate" since "it allows the network operator to manage the network with lower risk, in a more efficient way and ensuring greater penetration of renewable and endogenous sources".

João Esteves of R&D Nester, and one of the authors of the article, shares the same opinion, stating that "with the growing increase in the installed power of solar power plants, solar forecasting is a very important tool for the system operator as it aims to mitigate the uncertainty and variability of the system's performance". The researcher also highlights that he believes "the developed methods contribute to the sustainable integration of more solar energy in the power grid".

The article will be published by The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), which has 165,000 members from 150 countries, in its "IET Renewable Power Generation" Special Issue. This publication is, according to Nuno Souza e Silva, an "enhanced endorsement of the work and its authors" and that the recognition "shows that the work being developed is in line with the interests and needs of the actors of the international energy system". João Esteves also emphasizes the pride with which the team received the distinction, and explains that it "represents all the effort made in this area and is an incentive to continue to work and look for new ways for us to contribute to the construction of a more sustainable future".

The featured article, available on the workshop website, is also significant for R&D Nester and all the other entities involved as it contributes to "enhancing the visibility and international reputation of R&D Nester and, consequently, the partnership between REN and SGCC/CEPRI" says Nuno Souza e Silva. In the opinion of João Esteves, "this award reinforces R&D Nester's position as a research centre of excellence and it ensures this work reaches a larger number of people", adding that "R&D Nester has been focusing on research and development in the solar energy field, and it was a pioneer in the forecasting of national solar production (in 2015), as well as in the acquisition and installation of the first 'sky camera' in Portugal".

You can view the 2015 issue of the "IET Renewable Power Generation" Special Issue at this link.