Researchers at the University of Nottingham have developed an exciting, new AI weather forecasting model. This is a potentially huge breakthrough because it could lead to more reliable solar power.
The United Kingdom, where the University of Nottingham is based, is famous for its cloudy, gray skies. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, while solar panels do work in cloudy weather, they are much more efficient when hit with direct sunlight. Therefore, the ability to forecast rapidly changing weather patterns and cloud movement gives us the ability to maximize the amount of energy solar panels can produce.
This is particularly important given the world's increasing reliance on solar power.
According to a report from Deloitte, solar power capacity grew 88% to 18.6 gigawatts in 2024 in the United States alone. With much of the world's electricity increasingly coming from solar sources, boosting efficiency is essential to keeping our power grids up and running.
The new AI forecasting model uses ground-based fisheye images, which can accurately predict quick changes in cloud cover. Scientists originally developed the model in California, a state with tons of sunshine. But the researchers were able to show their AI forecasting model could also be applied to far gloomier places like Nottingham, which is a major breakthrough.
As they wrote in the study, "This efficiency translates to significant savings in model training time and data collection efforts."
That means the model could be applied to various climates around the Earth.
"This breakthrough could make it much faster and easier to predict solar energy output in new locations, helping to balance energy grids and integrate solar power more efficiently," noted Liwenbo Zhang, one of the researchers from the University.
The widespread use of solar panels is great for both the environment and your wallet. They also significantly reduce the amount of air pollution in the atmosphere caused by traditional dirty energy sources.
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This is just the latest technological breakthrough in the field of solar energy. Recently, researchers discovered a way to manipulate light to increase its absorption. This is huge because more direct sunlight means more energy. All of these advancements are essential because they make solar energy more affordable. They also could quell any fears consumers might have about making the switch to solar power.
If you're considering installing solar panels, check out The Cool Down's handy guide.
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