Quantum Weather
gives AmerenUE a jump on severe weather conditions.
UE and Saint Louis University (SLU) have partnered on a unique weather
forecasting system—Quantum Weather.
Quantum Weather provides UE with neighborhood-by-neighborhood
predictions of severe weather hours in advance. This advance knowledge
allows UE to dispatch crews ahead of the storm and to further improve
restoration times for customers.
How Quantum Weather Works
Eventually, 100
weather monitoring stations will be located throughout UE's
service area on existing UE poles. Currently, 50 monitoring
stations are in place.
The monitoring
stations measure temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure,
wind speed, wind direction and rainfall.
Stations are
solar-powered with storage batteries for power during the night
and on cloudy days.
Stations constantly
transmit data wirelessly to SLU's Department of Earth and
Atmospheric Sciences.
A computer model
with specific analytical software cross-checks the weather data
against the ground power lines and vegetation to produce highly
detailed maps of weather activity.
UE receives an
informational feed from SLU that includes alerts on destructive
storms and their possible impact in the UE service area.
Based on this
advance knowledge, UE will more rapidly dispatch crews to
those neighborhoods to prepare for or begin restoration work.
