The First Steps
EuroWind is an old hand when it comes to a young sector like the fast growing renewable energies industry: EuroWind was founded back in 2001 as an innovative company for weather and project consultancy with a focus on the European energy sector, and has got off to a good start from then on. Its actual roots date back even earlier, in the 90s of the past century. At that time todays managing director and Diploma Meteorologist, Rupert Hänsch, was busy researching for his diploma thesis at the Institute of Geophysics and Meteorology at the University of Cologne. His specialist field was the climatological energy yield forecast for wind turbines. The innovative model system he developed for this target was given the name WIEN. The name is an acronym of the two words "WInd" and "EN"ergy systems.
In 1999, WIEN brought its inventor the prestigious Technology Transfer Prize from the University of Cologne. The cornerstone for work in the appraisal field was laid! In 2001 finally the EuroWind GmbH was founded having its roots from university.
From a Small Start-up to a Specialist in Wind and Solar Power
A short time after founding the company we put the quality of the WIEN forecasting system to the test: EuroWind applied for the accreditation of the WIEN modelling process by the Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle GmbH (DAkkS) in accordance with DIN EN ISO / IEC 17025:2005 - with success. The positive result also impressed our customers. Word soon got round about our expertise in the area of wind resource and energy yield assessments in the onshore and offshore field and EuroWind became the supplier of first choice for banks, investors and companies in the wind sector.
But we would not be EuroWind if that had been enough for us. Instead of resting on our laurels, we set to work on new calculation methods. It was our declared aim to also be able to compile daily wind power forecasts. This led to the development of the SOWIE model in 2002. The simulation model for nline forecasting of the wind energy supply initially compiled forecasts for the German market that quickly got an excellent reputation among the transmission system operators.
Subsequently the team of experts around Rupert Hänsch and Béla Reitter continuously improved the wind power forecasting system. From 2004 on, wind power forecasts for all relevant markets in Europe were offered by implementing the extended program EuroSOWIE.
By the further expansion of our development team we realised the simulation model for forecasting of solar power, SimSol. Starting with 2006 we expanded our portfolio with the resulting photovoltaic power forecasts for Europe. This set another important milestone in our company's history. Ever since, our forecasting systems have been continuously improved by our experienced team to support our customers in their daily work, providing best-in-class forecast data.
The medium-term and short-term forecasts play an important role in the energy industry. Network operators, so-called transmission system operators (=TSO) can use these to estimate the capacity utilisation of their networks and thus provide protection against overloads. Power utilities employ forecasts to better plan their energy mix and control their systems more effectively. And direct marketers also depend on wind and solar energy forecasts, as the market prices for energy are oriented to supply and demand, like other commodities. That means reliable forecasts are vital to every energy dealer.
We not only wanted to promise our customers that our forecasts are rock solid, we also wanted to demonstrate it. We therefore had our SOWIE method certified according to DIN EN ISO / IEC 17025:2005 in 2007. That made us the first German provider with an officially accredited method for wind power forecasting. Subsequently the photovoltaic power forecast also was internationally accredited according to DIN EN ISO / IEC 17025:2005 in 2011. These unique awards have made EuroWind one of the international market leaders for medium-term and short-term forecasts and also ensured the efficient network integration of clean, renewable energy.
This aim remains important to us even today. Following our motto "MAKING RENEWABLES PREDICTABLE", we wish to forecast the output of renewable energies as accurately as possible, thereby making their marketing more profitable, while minimising the need for balancing and control energy and hence making an important contribution to the energy revolution.
Which Way is the Wind Blowing?
Meanwhile, numerous energy traders, analysts, and transmission system operators rely on the high-quality wind power forecasts by EuroWind on a daily basis. Over the years, we have established close cooperation with information service providers like the Deutsche Börse (German Stock Exchange), Bloomberg L.P., Genscape, and the European Energy Exchange EEX, along with scientific institutes such as the University of Cologne. We have also gained diverse awards revealing that we are continuing on the right path with our service spectrum.
We shall always be on the lookout to extend our product portfolio, improve our forecasting quality and spur on the development of renewable energies. Because the environment means a lot to us! Since 2013, we have also been a training company registered at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, this allowing us to train our employees ourselves and assist their further development. That means we can pursue our social responsibility of offering young people attractive future perspectives.