CENACE and the University of Sonora Sign Collaboration Agreement

CENACE and the University of Sonora (UNISON) have signed an agreement to collaborate and strengthen the national grid operator’s aptitude in data science to better model and predict energy demand, according to a joint statement.

The agreement signed on April 29, was presented at an online event presented by Dr. Enrique Velázquez, Head of UNISON and engineer Carlos Meléndez, Director General of CENACE. Both highlighted the potential of the joint effort to benefit the reliability of Mexico’s national electric system (SEN) and make the operation of the wholesale electricity market (WEM) more effective, which in turn would boosting Mexico’s entire energy sector. UNISON and CENAE are designing, developing and implementing models for forecasting electricity demand by applying machine learning techniques and use meteorological information found in the numerical atmospheric simulation model Weather Research and Forecasting.

Velázquez thanked CENACE for its trust in UNISON, noting how the partnership´s goal is to benefit the university’s relationships with both public and private sectors. He furthermore stated that this initiative opened the door for more higher educational entities to work with CENACE. “We have a lot of confidence in the team. We are certain that good results will be obtained because [the team] has good mastery in the areas involving computer science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, internet and more,” said Velázquez.

“At CENACE, we have the full conviction that the link between academia and the electricity industry can be used to find optimal solutions that will favor Mexico and its population. The great challenge is to comply with obligations in regards to parameters of quality, reliability, sustainability and cost-effectiveness. The agreement shows a commitment to this,” said Meléndez. “We must move toward a synergy of academic knowledge and the reality of the electricity sector, multiplying the efforts of each of us in a win-win relationship,” he added.

Enrique Müller, Senior Renewable Energy Consultant at Wood explained the importance of forecasting Mexico’s modern era grid during a 2020 MBN interview. “In the past, CENACE controlled the grid by requesting forecasts a month in advance. Due to variability in the resource, such as wind and solar, a monthly energy forecast is not reliable for renewable energy producers. What they ended up doing was to modify their forecasts from week to week and day to day,” he said. Industry analysist agree that if Mexico is to clean up its energy matrix, accurate forecasting based on massive amounts of data will be an essential part of the puzzle.