New AI tool could boost UK solar by predicting cloud movement

Dark clouds hover over Tower Bridge in central London. The UK’s National Grid ESO is teaming up with nonprofit Open Climate Fix to design a tracking system that matches cloud movements with the exact locations of solar panels. — AFP

The UK is turning to artificial intelligence to better predict when clouds affect its generation of solar energy, potentially helping to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels as a backup power source.

The country’s National Grid ESO is teaming up with nonprofit Open Climate Fix to design a tracking system that matches cloud movements with the exact locations of solar panels. The tool seeks to provide much greater precision than current weather forecasts.