MidHudson News is reporting Orange and Rockland Utilities and Central Hudson Gas and Electric are collaborating with UAlbany’s Center of Excellence in Weather and Climate Analytics and Electrical Distribution Design to develop a new weather forecasting tool that will provide real-time predictions on storm outages, electrical load and renewable energy generation. The information will be displayed on a customizable dashboard and it can better equip utility companies to make decisions more efficiently on how to prepare for weather-induced power outages and variations in renewable energy production. The project is spearheaded by the Center of Excellence and it will use a combination of New York State Mesonet data and Integrated System Models to develop the tool. The State Mesonet, headquartered at UAlbany, includes 126 standard weather observation stations statewide. The network provides real-time weather measurements that can help with situational awareness for both storms and renewables generation. Along with the Mesonet data, the new forecasting tool will leverage other publicly available weather data sources, including sensors that are being installed now at large New York solar farms. Orange and Rockland, and Central Hudson are also providing their own data from existing system models, which will be combined for the first time through this project. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.