Science & Innovation

To better harness the world's renewable resources, 3TIER takes cutting-edge research from the scientific community and develops those capabilities into state-of-the-art renewable energy risk analysis products.

Rather than developing our own "black box," the core of our work relies on open-source mesoscale numerical weather prediction (NWP) models, distributed hydrological flow models, and satellite image processing techniques that are supported and continually enhanced by the scientific community. 3TIER scientists and engineers are active participants in this community, regularly collaborating with their colleagues in academia. They present frequently at scientific conferences, publish academic papers, serve on graduate committees, and participate in professional societies.

Our use of NWP models in particular is highly specialized, and 3TIER has unequalled expertise in applying them to the problem of optimally locating, assessing, and forecasting wind, solar, and hydro resources. We have developed many proprietary methodologies that further enhance the effectiveness of NWP models for these applications. For example, we were the first to integrate on-site measurements into NWP models to achieve the power estimate accuracy necessary for due diligence and financing. We also add substantial value by transforming vast amounts of output data into relevant, actionable information that drives decisions about renewable energy policy, investment, and integration.

3TIER pushes the boundaries of atmospheric science and finds ways to use our unique capabilities to serve an increasingly sophisticated industry. A recent advancement is incorporating our wind data into Galileo's wind hedging tool, WindLock™, to mitigate the risk of underperformance and ease financing pressure on wind projects. We have also developed wind performance reconciliation products to enable financiers and owners to perform portfolio analysis across regions and quickly view the effects of weather anomalies on both existing and proposed investments.

3TIER has a global perspective, and our motives are often as much educational as commercial. Under the banner of our REmapping the World campaign, 3TIER was the first organization to map the world's wind, solar, and hydro resources at a high resolution. This initiative developed the critical information necessary to make renewable energy a viable choice on a global scale. FirstLook, the web interface that provides free access to some of this data via a user-friendly map, received the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) award for Commercial Achievement in 2009. Not satisfied with that innovation, we're now making those datasets as well as our forecasts accessible via an Application Programming Interface (API).

Stay tuned. We've built a team and an infrastructure that is enabling us to bring a long pipeline of innovative products to market that fundamentally improve the way we harness the world's renewable energy resources.