In a significant move to enhance India’s renewable energy infrastructure and ensure grid stability, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has mandated real-time weather tracking at all large solar and wind power plants nationwide, effective
July 2025.
The regulation underscores the government’s commitment to optimizing the integration of intermittent renewable sources. The CEA’s directive, a direct response to the growing share and inherent variability of solar and wind generation in India’s power mix, is solidified by comprehensive guidelines for Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) to ensure precise and reliable data collection.
The regulatory requirement stipulates that power plants exceeding 50 MW capacity must install AWS with specified sensors to continuously monitor weather parameters such as solar irradiance, wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and rainfall. This data must be logged and securely transmitted at 15-minute intervals to national and regional load dispatch centers, as well as Renewable Energy Management Centers (REMCs).
The emphasis on cyber-physical security within these guidelines highlights the government’s proactive approach to protecting critical energy infrastructure, with strict specifications for AWS locations to ensure data accuracy and reliability, including requirements for clear, fenced areas and multiple AWS systems for larger installations.
The multifaceted impact of real-time weather tracking includes significantly improved renewable energy forecasting, leading to enhanced grid stability and reliability by enabling better management of supply and demand fluctuations. This will optimize resource utilization, attract increased investor confidence by reducing operational risks, and strengthen cyber-physical security by protecting monitoring systems from threats.
It must be noted that the regulation is a critical enabler for India’s ambitious target of achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel electricity generation capacity by 2030, ensuring that the rapid expansion of solar and wind power can be seamlessly integrated into the national grid without compromising stability.
