Emma Boorman is one of the expert meteorologists from our inhouse team. Emma has always been passionate about the weather; as a child, she would watch snowfall updates on television for hours, even before she decided to pursue a professional career as a meteorologist.
On a daily basis, Emma begins her day when the traders arrive so that she can develop the weather story and communicate the latest before the action begins. She then monitors and updates the forecast throughout the day as-and-when it is required, and she spends the rest of her time researching new developments within meteorology and energy forecasting.
Why does weather forecast matter for a trading company like Shell Energy Europe?
Analysis of meteorological information is crucial for the well-functioning of Shell Energy Europe’s trading desks. Accurate and up-to-date weather forecasts allow our traders and deal structurers to provide our customers and counterparties with better solutions.
Shell Energy Europe is growing its renewables footprint. What is the impact of weather forecast on renewables?
Renewables are intrinsically linked to how the weather is performing. For example, will it be windy, calm, sunny or cloudy? This is where we come in and can add value on top of just a computer tool. You need the sun to be out for solar, the wind to be blowing for wind power and knowing when these sources will and will not be available is extremely important. For example, I am able to add value when forecasting across not only Europe but specific countries too. Accurate forecasting of the wind and solar conditions allows traders and counterparties to utilise the available generation on a daily basis. Therefore, meteorology is going to be more and more important in the energy business as more renewables are added to the energy mix.
How is digitalization impacting your role?
Digitalisation is definitely enhancing my role. We have an incredible amount of data at our disposal that we can analyse, and the digital movement within Shell Energy Europe and the wider industry allows me to analyse that data more readily and draw more informed conclusions from it.
