Encouraging investment in renewable energies
Solar, water, geothermal and biomass energy sources still experience limited exploitation and there are risks involved when investing in these systems. But scientists do know that Earth Observation (EO) data can be useful when planning and deploying such RESs. In fact, the EU-funded 'Energy downstream services - Providing energy components for GMES' (ENDORSE) project makes use of Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) Core Services and other EO/in situ data and modelling. It is developing user-driven downstream services in renewable energy. The services are in the form of software or web services, and they allow for better modelling of environmental and atmospheric aspects of renewable energy. Their users are the scientific community at large, as well as engineers in renewable energies, and MSc and PhD students. The end users set to benefit are policymakers, public agencies in charge of energy, operators of electricity grids and energy plants, consultants, investors and architects. ENDORSE initially identified 10 services following the requests of local users, focusing on solar, wind and biomass energy, electricity management and day lighting in buildings. First versions of the service products were made available and have been tested by prime users, allowing for feedback. The users were also consulted about market issues that may affect the acceptance of these services should they become operational on a larger scale. Ultimately, ENDORSE will produce a set of validated and innovative methods that exploit EO data. This will be presented with a portfolio of pre-market services, containing documented conditions of sustainability. It is hoped that the use of these services will encourage investments into renewable energy systems.
