NASA, Virginia Launch Power Partnership for Energy Security

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NASA is helping to foster long-term energy security in Virginia.

NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, is partnering with the Virginia Department of Energy to support informed decisions for effective energy generation, delivery and use by providing solar, meteorological, and future weather risk datasets for energy system modeling and planning purposes.

Under a new Space Act Agreement announced during a ceremony Friday, the partnership will use NASA expertise in atmospheric sciences to assist Virginia Energy in support of resiliency studies, resource analysis, and long-term energy planning.

“NASA Langley relishes the opportunity to put our unique science data into the hands of those who want to improve people’s lives,” said NASA Langley Deputy Director Allen Kilgore. “This collaboration with Virginia Energy will benefit the citizens of Virginia and provide stronger energy security for the Commonwealth.”

This agreement will help state officials plan for current and potential extreme weather conditions in Virginia and assess implications for electricity demand, energy generation, and system stress. Information can be directly incorporated into energy policy, planning, and operational decisions.

By helping Virginians better anticipate energy demands, prepare for extreme weather, and understand factors affecting electricity generation, this partnership will support a more reliable and resilient energy system.

“Sound energy planning depends on models that reflect real-world conditions,” said Virginia Energy Director Vince Maiden. “This collaboration will help us better understand how weather affects electricity supply and demand, identify vulnerabilities, and weigh resource tradeoffs with greater confidence.”

The partnership will infuse relevant NASA Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resources (POWER) data products into Virginia Energy’s modeling and analysis system. The POWER information supports energy generation system designs and prediction of energy production using validated data products from NASA’s Earth Science to Action program. Those key NASA products represent research and development across NASA including Langley, Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.

Through a digital pipeline, Virginia Energy can connect to Langley’s POWER web platform to download specific datasets and put them directly into their modeling tools. NASA’s POWER team members will work with Virginia Energy researchers to streamline the exchange, adjust formats, and evaluate the need for additional data.

This new partnership was fostered through NASA Langley’s Strategic Partnerships Office that connects industry, academia, and other government agencies with center facilities, capabilities, specialized test environments, and technical expertise to bring ideas to life.