Seattle native “green tech” company, 3TIER—which specializes in mitigating risk to sustainable energy projects via wind and weather prediction systems—will be making an appearance this November at the Moscow 2nd International Sustainable Energy Forum. The forum follows in the heels of 3TIER’s March 2013 announcement that it was expanding its wind-prediction systems into Russia and Ukraine.
American wind farming investment has waned dramatically in recent years due in part to the closing time slot to qualify for the federal wind energy production tax credit (to qualify, developers must have begun construction of wind farms by the end of this year), and the shock to the electricity market caused by the natural gas boom. CEO Craig Husa was brought on board in 2011 to help refocus 3TIER on the industries, players, and locations that offer the best growth opportunity. Russia, which has the world’s 3rd longest coastline, is exploring the possibility of opening wind farms offshore. Ukraine is also looking to its coasts: the “Energy Strategy of Ukraine until 2030,” published in 2006, has set the goal of cutting the country’s energy consumption by 50%. Part of this effort will include investments in wind farms around the Black Sea, the Azov Sea, as well as the Carpathian and Transcarpathian areas. 3TIER’S coastal expertise, based on 13 years monitoring wind patterns in Washington’s Columbia Gorge, will thus be critical.
The conversion to renewable electricity systems does not come without economic risks. This is where 3TIER steps in. Electricity demand is always fluctuating, and yet as more wind energy is added to a region’s grid electricity supply becomes harder to manage. Together, Russia and Ukraine have a collective target to add over 25GW of renewable energy capacity within the next ten years. 3TIER’s wind measurement will play a critical role in enabling precise decisions regarding project prioritization and electricity flow infrastructure. Precise decisions will in turn drive quicker adoption of renewable energy in these countries.
