Keeping the lights on... ESRL helps improve solar energy forecasts for more efficient power management

The U.S Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot initiative is a collaborative effort with the goal to make solar energy cost-competitive with other forms of electricity by the end of the decade. As part of the SunShot Initiative, researchers from NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) are working to develop better short-term (hours to day-ahead) solar energy forecasts that will help improve the operation of the electric power grid and lower integration costs for solar power.

Ellsworth G. Dutton 1949-2012

ESRL scientist Ellsworth Dutton passed away on 11 October, 2012. Ells was widely respected for his careful study of the surface radiation budget of the Earth.