IEA Wind Task 36 -An Overview

Wind power forecasts have been operationally used for over 25 years. Despite this fact, there are still many possibilities to improve and enhance forecasts, both from the weather prediction side and in the use of the forecasts. Until now, most applications have focused on deterministic forecast methods. This is likely to change in the future as penetration levels increase and weather conditions become more unstable due to climate change. Probabilistic methods are therefore receiving more attention from users. The International Energy Agency (IEA) Wind Task 36 on Wind Power Forecasting organises international collaboration, among national weather centres with an interest and/or large projects on wind forecast improvements (NOAA, DWD, UK MetOffice, ...), forecast vendors and forecast users to facilitate scientific exchange to be prepared for future challenges.