Moving from fossil fuel-based electricity generation to renewable electricity generation is at the heart of current developments in power sectors worldwide. In this context, synergy assessment between renewable electricity sources is of great significance for local and regional power planning. Here we use synergy metrics (stability coefficient (Cstab) and normalised Pearson correlation coefficient (r) to a state-of-the-art reanalysis product from 2011–2020 to preliminarily assess solar-wind synergies globally on diurnal and seasonal time scales assuming equal installed capacities of solar and wind hybrid system. Our results suggest that medium-to-good diurnal and seasonal complementarities between solar photovoltaic and wind power potential are the norm, rather than the exception, which could help many countries in achieving balanced power mixes based on renewable resources. Our results also suggest that many regions in the tropics and sub tropics may need to explore synergic benefits of other renewables in addition to solar power. An open-access application is now available on the European Copernicus cloud to explore solar and wind synergies on diurnal and seasonal time scales worldwide.
<p>Global hydrological models are used for understanding, monitoring, and forecasting the global freshwater system. Their outputs provide crucial water-related information for various audiences, such as scientists and policymakers. WaterGAP is such a global hydrological model, and it has been utilized extensively to assess water scarcity for humans and ecologically relevant streamflow characteristics, considering the impacts of human water use and man-made reservoirs as well as of climate change.</p> <p>The WaterGAP research software has been developed and modified by researchers with diverse programming backgrounds for over 30 years. During this time, there has been no clear-cut protocol for software development and no defined software architecture; hence the current state of the software is a collection of over a thousand lines of code with little &#160;modularity and documentation. As a result, it is challenging for new model developers to understand the current software and improve or extend the model algorithm. Also, it is almost impossible to make the software available to other researchers (e.g., For the reproduction of research results).</p> <p>Here we present ReWaterGAP, an ongoing project to redevelop WaterGAP into a sustainable research software (SRS). We define SRS as software that (1) is maintainable, (2) is extensible, (3) is flexible (adapts to user requirements), (4) has a defined software architecture, (5) has a comprehensive in-code and external documentation, and (6) is accessible (the software is licensed as Open Source with a DOI (digital object identifier) for proper attribution). The goal is to completely rewrite the software WaterGAP from scratch with a modular structure using a modern programming language and state-of-the-art software architecture, and to provide extensive documentation so that the resulting software fulfills the requirements of a SRS while maintaining good computational performance.</p> <p>In our presentation, we provide insights into our ongoing reprogramming, outline milestones, and provide an overview of applied best practices from the computer science community (such as internal and external code review, test-driven development, and agile development methods). We plan to share the software development lessons we have learned along the way with the scientific community to help them improve their software.</p>
<p>Process-based impact models are frequently used for a range of applications and are valuable for simulating fundamental processes in a changing world. Model Intercomparison Projects like the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP, www.isimip.org) act as an umbrella for various sectors (e.g. water, agriculture, health) and numerous modelling teams that are following a common modeling protocol that enables model intercomparison and (cross-) sectoral multi-model impact assessments. However, such assessments require reliable model outputs which can be checked from two perspectives.</p><p>First, a quality control (QC) check ensures that simulated files follow the standards defined in the modelling protocol and includes plausibility checks. For example, structural inconsistencies and correct metadata entries can be assessed, but also in cases where the range of a specific variable exceeds plausibility limits (e.g. negative precipitation values), such a tool can facilitate error checking which is very helpful especially in the case of high data volume simulation outputs (e.g., errors stemming from an erroneous unit conversion).</p><p>Second, a quality assessment (QA) tool compares model output to observation data or benchmark models. This is particularly important for model development and improvement as it can highlight benefits and limitations of models for e.g., specific model configurations, but it also informs the identification of models that are best suited for specific regions and research questions.</p><p>Within the EU COST-Action &#8220;Process-based models for climate impact attribution across sectors&#8220; (PROCLIAS), the aim is to establish a QC/QA workflow for the ISIMIP models. A QC tool is already developed and in operation which checks the data format and, exemplarily for the global water sector, each variable for plausibility ranges. An operational QA tool does not yet exist within PROCLIAS and ISIMIP but some experiences have been gained with existing evaluation frameworks such as ILAMB and the ESMValTool.</p><p>This presentation provides experiences gained with the QC tool and the application of ISIMIP data to existing QA frameworks and outlines the next milestones. It is planned to extend the plausibility ranges to all ISIMIP sectors by a survey within the modelling teams. For the QA tool, specific developments are required to integrate sector-specific evaluation methods (e.g., basin outlines into ILAMB). To use ESMValTool, the model output data needs to be restructured to a CF-compliant format. With the ISIMIP global water sector as a pilot sector, experiences are gained that will then be transferred to other sectors. This activity also calls for an exchange of ideas and experiences from other modeling communities.</p>
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