Energy Special Interest Group

As power systems transition towards a greater share of renewables, there is a growing need for collaboration between weather and climate scientists and those in the energy sector. This shift presents not only transition risks, due to climate change-driven impacts over the next few decades, but also uncertainty around the nature of extremes driven by climate variability. By collaborating and making effective use of meteorological data, energy sector stakeholders can better understand the impacts of climate change and climate variability.

The aim of the Energy Special Interest Group is therefore to act as a bridge between weather and climate scientists and energy sector professionals by facilitating knowledge exchange, demystifying meteorological terminology and data, and providing networking opportunities.

Recent Activities

State of the Climate for the UK Energy Sector 2023–2024

Throughout 2024, the Energy SIG has collaborated with those in the energy sector to address the key challenges facing the field. One response to this was the State of the Climate for the UK Energy Sector 2023–24 report which was published in Autumn 2024. This report provides a clear and concise overview of how weather impacted the UK's energy industry between January 2023 and April 2024.

The full report and the executive summary can be downloaded here. 

Alongside speakers from the Met Office, ECMWF, and WeatherQuest, the findings from this report were presented at the Forecasting for Energy Resilience event, which took place at ECMWF in September 2024.

The recording with the summary of the findings from the report can be found here and the full recording of the event can be viewed here.

Seasonal Forecast Outlook

The third Seasonal Forecast Outlook for the Energy Sector event occurred in November, where speakers from the Met Office and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) presented the seasonal forecast for 2024–25 and discussed the confidence in this. Speakers from industry, specifically AFRY and Lake Street Consulting, provided context for how the seasonal forecast is used by those in the gas and electricity sector.

A write-up of this event is available on our Industry Insights page and the recording can be viewed here.

Upcoming Activities

New for 2025, the Energy SIG will be hosting two Energy Insights webinars during late winter/early spring. These webinars will bring together leading experts from across climate science and the energy sector to discuss the latest scientific advances in the field, and their implications for the energy sector. More details will be released soon.

The Energy SIG also aims to publish the next edition of the State of the Climate for the UK Energy Sector report, considering the impacts of weather on the UK energy system between April 2024 and April 2025.

About the Energy SIG

The Special Interest Group includes academics from several UK institutions (University of Reading, Newcastle University, University of Bath) as well as representatives from the UK Met Office, National Energy System Operator, Ofgem, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, EDF, distribution system operators, and many more.

David Brayshaw (University of Reading) and Dafni Sifnioti (EDF) both co-chair the Energy SIG which meets 3 times per year to discuss the biggest weather and climate issues facing the energy sector and help inform the Society’s engagement programme with the sector.

Some of the key aims of the group include:

• To sustain, encourage and progress the engagement of energy sector professionals, policy-makers and academics with weather and climate.
• To develop content and activities addressing the meteorological needs of professionals working within energy, including through the Society’s peer-reviewed journals.
• To promote and support membership and professional accreditation of the Society within the energy sector.

Selected content from the Energy SIG:

• Energy Forum 2023: Challenges and Opportunities keynote talk recordings
• Latest blog: How could decadal forecasts help the energy sector plan for climate variability?
• Explainer: Weather and Energy Trading

See more Energy sector content

The Group works closely with the Science Engagement Committee and other Society committees to integrate the needs of the energy sector into other Society workstreams.

If you’re interested in the ongoing activities of the energy SIG, please get in touch with energy@rmets.org or sign up to the newsletter below.