Solcast

In 2016 James Luffman and Doctor Nick Engerer decided to apply complex science to real world problems. Their product, NowCasting, is a solar forecasting tool which can track and predict solar-based renewable energy output in real time.

With a background in, and a passion for meteorology, the duo seized the opportunity to gather and produce solar radiation data to enable networks to better predict their solar modelling and forecasting.

This data has revolutionised weather forecasting for the renewable energy sector by predicting 600 million solar forecasts around the world every hour.

Traditional weather radars are expensive and not available in every location, but NowCast is a revolutionary, cost-effective weather radar. To be able to take their cost effective prototype to market, Solcast needed a little extra support, so they reached out to the Entrepreneurs’ Programme Accelerating Commercialisation.

Through an $880,000 Accelerating Commercialisation grant, Solcast Solcast was granted the opportunity to track the world’s cloud cover by scaling up their prototype and take it to market, enabling them to commercialise their NowCasting prototype and progress to the next stage of applying the systems to rainfall and also storms.

Doctor Engerer explains that the most advantageous thing about this opportunity to collaborate is the ability to see rainfall where there has previously been no weather radar coverage.