What are some of the challenges for researchers in your field?
Forecasting of renewable generation has been indicated by electric grid managers as a key component for the integration of renewables into the grid. However, many of the best models that one can find in the literature are often not feasible in the real world. They may require data that is not available or they may be too computationally intensive. For instance, a very good model that predicts the exact value for the next 10 minutes, but takes 15 minutes to compute, is useless in the real world. In general, I think that some of the research in my area ignores these aspects, and becomes too “academic”, limiting its impact.
Another issue relates to benchmarking. Currently, it is difficult to properly rank different techniques in the world of renewable forecasting. This results from the fact that there is no unified validation framework. Not all researchers use the same performance metrics and, in fact, there is no consensus about the best set of metrics. Regarding my own day-to-day activities, the most frustrating moments usually deal the data necessary for my research: lack of data, bad quality of data, and challenges in establishing real-time data streams with the collaborating power plants. In general, data infrastructure is built for monitoring and reporting, and is not very amenable for real-time prediction algorithms where a few minutes of data latency can break a model.
What is something your colleagues might be surprised to know about you?
I love to cook, and often try to cook Portuguese food. I grew up in a small village where most people still farm, and my father even produces his own wine. I spent many summer breaks harvesting apples, corn, and grapes, and occasionally grape-stomping.
Do you have any advice for someone looking to get into your field?
My field is very interdisciplinary, so a strong background in physics, mathematics, and programming is essential. If you have the right tools, then all that matters is an inquiring mind and dedication.
However, mentoring and teamwork are very important for a successful career in research, so I recommend that you find a research group that interests you, become familiar with their research, and take any opportunity to collaborate with them.