Name:           Gloria Rea

Job title:       Meteorologist

Organisation: ENEL Global Trading S.p.A.

Outside of SECLI-FIRM, what is your role within your organisation and what do you do in this role?

I am a meteorologist at ENEL, working full-time on the SECLI-FIRM project.

How long have you worked in science/energy and what motivated you to pursue this career?

I have worked in science since 2013/2014 and in specifically in the energy context since 2017/2018.

Why did you get involved in the SECLI-FIRM project and why does this project excite you?

I got involved in the project through my knowledge of climate modelling competences. The project excites me because it allows me to apply scientific knowledge to energy market problematics and provides an opportunity for improvements in future energy policy.

What is your main role and contribution to the SECLI-FIRM project?

As a climate analyst, my contribution is focused on the analysis of seasonal forecast output and their biases for next use in energy market models.

What are the key things you have learned from being involved in the SECLI-FIRM project so far?

I have improved my knowledge of seasonal forecast modelling and how to deal with these kind of simulations, and gained a greater understanding of the key elements of the energy market.

What achievements do you personally hope to accomplish by the end of the SECLI-FIRM project?

I hope that seasonal forecast multi-model combinations will be finalized and that this kind of approach will bring significant added value to market scenarios and business management.

What do you believe are the key benefits of climate science, and seasonal forecasting in particular, for the energy industry?

I believe that the climate modelling skill to forecast weather changes in advance, even with a margin of uncertainty, can make an important contribution to how industry handles renewable energy technologies, managing industrial risk and improving business decision processes.

What do you believe are the barriers to the energy sector in accessing and using seasonal forecasting information?

I believe that the application of probabilistic tools in the energy sector, where models are regularly implemented with deterministic variables, could be the main limit for the use of seasonal forecast information.

What part do you think projects like SECLI-FIRM play in promoting collaboration between the energy and meteorology/climate sectors?

I think that interactions and cooperation between energy industrial partners and scientific research centres are necessary in this kind of project. Sharing scientific and industrial knowledge in order to let these completely different worlds speak a common language and get significant results.

 What would be your top tip for anyone interested in getting involved in a project like SECLI-FIRM?

I would recommend that anyone who is motivated to work with other partners and curious know more about the challenges that other organisations face, should go ahead and get involved.

What would you say have been the key developments in the world of energy and meteorology/climate in recent years?

In recent years, for industry, the risk associated with portfolio exposure has become even more affected by weather variables. Forecasting has become a fundamental part in enabling companies to best estimate energy variables and participate in the energy market.